Will Kadison is a Maker Ninja — a student worker at Tulane’s Scot Ackerman MakerSpace. The MakerSpace offers access to digital fabrication tools like 3-D printers, laser cutters, milling machines and lathes, and Maker Ninjas ensure safe operation of the facility.
Q: What is your hometown and what is your major? Do you live in a residence hall or off campus?
A: My hometown is Sherborn, Massachusetts, which is about 45 minutes outside Boston. I am a senior biomedical engineering student. I live in an off-campus house currently.
Q: What is the best part about being on campus this semester?
A: The best part about being on campus this semester is getting the hands-on lab and group work experience, and being able to work in person on our team design projects has been extremely beneficial. It has also been very nice to continue to work in the MakerSpace this semester, which would not be possible virtually.
Q: Being a MakerSpace Ninja, how have you adjusted your approach to serving makers in our new normal? In what ways do you find the MakerSpace rewarding in a time such as this?
A: We as Maker Ninjas have adjusted to this new normal by helping the people who come in from more of a distance, and also we have started an online digital library with resources so people who want to use the MakerSpace services can do it more by themselves in a socially distant and safe manner. We also rearranged the tables within the space to allow for distancing. I find the MakerSpace very rewarding in these times, as always, because it is a place to let out my creativity and interact with others in a social but safe setting, while also being able to do my schoolwork and creative projects.
Q: What is your favorite weekend activity? Do you have new hobbies since the pandemic?
A: My favorite weekend activity during COVID, which has certainly been different than normal, has been finding cool new outdoor spots both within parks in the city and outside the city where I can sit in the sun and enjoy nature. I did not do this much before the pandemic started, but it has been really relaxing and enjoyable. I have also picked up Rollerblading and started to learn to play guitar this semester.
Q: How do you find ways to create community around campus?
A: I think the MakerSpace is a really great place for creating community as anybody is welcome to come in and share/work on their creative ideas individually or as a group. The team design classes I have been in this semester have also been good for creating community as we all meet up and work together to accomplish a common goal. I am also a member of our professional engineering fraternity, Theta Tau. This has also been a great spot for creating a virtual community around campus. We have weekly meetings, and I am involved in educating our potential new members every weekend about our fraternity and our values. This has been great for connecting with people in different years and different majors in one safe and inclusive space.
Interview by Audrey Watford
