A cross-disciplinary team of University of Delaware faculty and students -- led by Mohsen Badiey from the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and Dan Freeman from Horn Entrepreneurship program -- is finalizing the planning for the new UD Makerspace, located in Pearson Gym and scheduled to open in 2018.

The new space will be open for use by all UD students and faculty.

Faculty who are interested in using the space for courses and co-curricular projects are encouraged to apply for the UD Makerspace Faculty Fellows Program, which will identify faculty initiatives that will engage undergraduate students in active learning through a process of design, prototyping and fabrication. The UD Makerspace Faculty Fellows Program provides a financial incentive and planning support to faculty interested in creating and facilitating UD Makerspace projects for a current or proposed undergraduate course offered in 2018.

Faculty whose proposals are successful will shape the future of UD Makerspace and its impact by providing the initial projects around which some of the first purchases of equipment and supplies will be planned.

Applications are due by June 15. More information and the application form are available at online.

“This program paves the way for our undergraduate students to learn firsthand from idea generation to design and fabrication in their fields of interest. It also provides entrepreneurship opportunities for students,” said Badiey, the acting dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment.

Project Goals

• Engage faculty and students in a campuswide UD Maker Network initiative, with particular focus on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. 


• Provide faculty with guidance and support for the development of innovative curricula aimed at providing undergraduates with hands-on learning through building, prototyping and fabricating opportunities. 


• Provide faculty with the equipment, space and supplies necessary to complete a course, project or series of activities supported by UD Makerspace. 


• Enhance overall student and faculty engagement in all UD makerspaces, through the creation of a UD Maker Network. 


While a number of makerspaces have been opening throughout the University over the past couple of years, including CEOE’s Robotic Discovery Laboratories on the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes, CEOE and Horn Entrepreneurship saw an opportunity for greater collaboration and productivity. By creating a larger, central makerspace where students and faculty from any discipline can engage in creative problem-solving and invention, UD Makerspace will leverage the diversity of talents and knowledge from throughout the University for more innovative and ultimately more beneficial applications. The combination of Horn Entrepreneurship with the kind of innovation undertaken by CEOE and others will make the final products more marketable and, as a result, more impactful.

The UD Makerspace Faculty Fellows Program will provide professional development funds to each successful faculty member to help support the development of a series of class assignments, a new project for an existing course or a new course that will benefit from the regular use of a Makerspace. 


Eligibility: All UD faculty holding appointments that include undergraduate teaching responsibilities during the 2018 academic year are eligible to apply. 


Awards: Each successful applicant will receive $2,500 professional development funds to help support the development of: a series of class assignments, a new project for an existing course or a new course that will benefit from the regular use of a Makerspace. Relevant conference travel is permissible. Several applicants will be awarded fellow status.

Funding: Funds will be available on Aug. 1, 2017, and must be spent before June 1, 2019. No further awards or expenses are covered. Funding of awards is made possible by a grant received from the Unidel Foundation. Courses, projects and activities must be completed in either the spring or fall semester of 2018. 


Applications are due by June 15. More information and the application form are available at https://www.tfaforms.com/4618342