UNIMAKER is a conference for anyone working or studying in and around Higher Education who loves making, creating, designing, inventing, building and exploring using a range of different tools and materials.
Started in 2019, this exciting forum attracted delegates from over 20 institutions from across the UK with a diverse and dynamic programme. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, UNIMAKER 2020 went online, attracting over 100 delegates from across the world over two days.
UNIMAKER 2021 will be held in The Diamond Building in Sheffield, UK on 15 and 16 September 2021. We are still in the planning stages, so specific details are yet to be decided.
We are now calling for Proposals. If you are interested in participating in the conference, please complete a Call for Proposals form by Midnight on Friday 14 May 2021.
We are also asking for potential attendees, sponsors and exhibitors to register your interest here to receive news and updates as planning progresses.
We are planning for the conference to be in-person however sessions will be available to viewed remotely via our digital media so in-person attendance is not compulsory.
Be a part of the UNIMAKER community — join us on LinkedIn.
Calling all student makers!
It’s been a challenging year, but Making continued to make a difference during lockdown. Students across the UK and beyond responded to the PPE shortage, with home 3D printers on overdrive printing face shields, but some of you also made the most of the time at home to get creative. Makerspaces popped up at bedroom desks, in back rooms and garages. Whether you were part of a team finding a new way to make your existing project, or you came up with something innovative or fun on your own, we want to hear all about and celebrate your lockdown Making!
Tell us your story in a 2 minute video with a 200 word written description. We’re happy to accept individual or group submissions. The more creative the better!
In return, we are offering £250 prize for the best entry, and £100 each for three runners up. All winners will also get free entry to UNIMAKER ‘21.
Consider the following questions in your video:
What did you make and why?
Tell us about the process – what challenges did you encounter and what would you do differently?
Where did you make it? Show us your space and the kit you used!
Or you can email you entry to unimaker@sheffield.ac.uk — don’t forget to include a 200-word written description with your video.
Closing Date: Sunday 18 July 2021
About UNIMAKER 2021
We are planning for the conference to be in-person however sessions will be available to view remotely via our digital media so in-person attendance is not compulsory.
The overarching themes are;
Remote Making and learning outside the makerspace
The A to Z of Making – showcasing diverse applications from bioengineering to sewing
Starting and Running Makerspaces
The Impact of Making
Supporting and Developing Students and Staff
Building a Community of Makers
The sub themes are;
The A to Z of Making
Showcasing the diverse applications of making, both digital and traditional from bioengineering to sewing
Starting and Running Makerspaces
Access and supervision models
Student leadership and ownership
Supporting and developing students
Enterprise & extra curricular activities / professional skills
Funding and industry engagement
Technology for enabling student autonomy
Training and Health & Safety
The Impact of Making
Making for mental health and wellbeing
STEM and community outreach, widening participation
Influencing University culture
Sustainability
Knowledge exchange and industry collaboration
Supporting and Developing Students and Staff
Employability and enterprise skills
Developing staff from supervisors to mentors
Working with a curriculum/academics as partners
Entrepreneurship and supporting start-ups
Building a Community of Makers
Creating a welcoming and inclusive space
Sharing good practice
Regional engagement and collaboration
Working across disciplines
Register your Interest
We are also looking for potential attendees, sponsors and exhibitors so please register your interest here to receive news and updates as planning progresses.
OPENING ADDRESS | Refugees Making the Desert Green — Professor Tony Ryan OBE📧, University of Sheffield
The Maker Response to Covid-19 — Dr Pete Mylon📧, University of Sheffield
Developing a Prosthetic Arm — Thomas Thomas, Nicholas Hagis & Alex Pop, Sheffield Bionics📧
Session 2: Co/Extra-Curricular Making
Mon 7th September 15:00-17:00 BST
Curricular vs. Co-Curricular Projects — Dr Simon Hayes📧, University of Sheffield
Maker{Futures}: maker resources for primary engagement — Dr Alison Buxton📧, University of Sheffield
Lessons from an online IoT Making event during Lockdown — Richard Waterstone📧, SERAS
KEYNOTE | Creating a repair culture; making engaging online content for your makerspace — Taylor Dixon📧, iFixit
Session 3: Knowledge Exchange
Tue 8th September 10:00-12:00 BST
How can makerspaces and maker sessions adapt to Covid-19? What other topics are top of mind? Delegates share their experience and discuss next steps. Discussions are led by Ryan Jones📧 and a team of iForge student Reps
Session 4: Making in the Curriculum
Tue 8th September 15:00-17:00 BST
Fast paced making: Developing confidence in Foundation Year Art and Design students — Marie Judge📧, Sheffield Hallam University
Facilitating online collaboration and building 21st Century skills in students — Avalon Cory📧, University of Exeter
Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen: A hub for undergraduate engineering innovation — Dr Matthew Wettergreen📧
As well as our live sessions, we also have some great content to share with you from the UNIMAKER community:
Ideas Lab – Imperial College, London, UK
A team of students at Imperial College have spent the summer creating the Ideas Lab, a new makerspace linked with Imperial’s Dyson School of Design Engineering. In this video, they outline the software system they have made for the space.
The Delft University of Technology is well known for its successful student competition teams, which they call D:DREAM teams. These include Formula Student, Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE) and many more. All teams consist of highly motivated students, who are solely responsible for all tasks, from team management to the design and production of their inventions. The D:DREAM Hall, the building on the TU Delft Campus that never sleeps, forms most teams’ home base. This video gives an overview of the D:DREAM programme.
Brandon and Pete visited Delft and the D:DREAM Hall in February 2020 and would highly recommend a visit!
A new academic year has started, which can only mean one thing: a new year full of D-Dream experiences is about to begin! Designing, producing, racing, and sometimes winning are on the agenda for the new team members. But before it all starts, let’s have a look at what it means to be part of the D:DREAM…
MARMIK are a Devon-based machinery company. They have produced the Machine Access Control System for use in workshops and makerspaces, which may be of interest to the UNIMAKER community. It allows individual RFID-based access control to machines.
Lockdown Project: Making a home wind tunnel – Edward J Dawtrey, The University of Sheffield
Ed, a second year aerospace engineering student, decided to build a small wind tunnel over the summer to visualise the effects of air flow and ‘angle of attack’ on various aerofoils. Being on lockdown, Ed only used materials he could find around the house.
The result is impressive! This is a great example of low/medium-fidelity prototyping, ingenuity, and how Making can be used to support theoretical learning.
