A Glorious Avalanche of Makerspaces in the News

As a reader of Make Magazine, you’re probably already well aware that makers are really coming through right now, creating all kinds of needed gear for people who are working in hospitals and essential businesses. We’ve seen, and told, a few stories ourselves. However, you might not be aware of just how massive the scale of the maker impact has been.

In our own outreach to see how makers are helping, we’re estimating numbers to be building into the multiple millions of pieces of gear delivered to those in need globally. Everywhere we turn we see makerspaces and makers in the news. It is fantastic, and nearly impossible to keep up with.

There has never been a time where the news has paid more attention to makerspaces. We’re seeing an avalanche of news stories pouring in from all over. Just to show a quick example, here is roughly a week’s worth of news stories that have come across our desks, and you can imagine that there are so many more out there.

• Vermont  – Makerspace hopes to make 10,000 face shields for health care workers
• New Hampshire  – Makerspaces playing vital role in producing masks for health care workers 
• Wisconsin  – https://www.wpr.org/how-co-op-jewelry-box-maker-and-makerspace-made-health-industry-bit-safer
• Missouri –  MSU Libraries help unite local PPE makers and ramp up shield production
• South Africa – South Africans shine during lockdown 
• Virginia  –Lynchburg’s Vector Space 3D prints personal protective gear for medical professionals
• Ottawa Canada – uOttawa students help protect frontline health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic
• Mangaluru, India – http://www.uniindia.com/~/sahyadri-college-startup-supplies-face-shields-to-covid-19-warriors/States/news/1943013.html
• Kentucky  – Sprocket makerspace need you to make aerosal boxes for hospitals
• New Jersey  – NJIT Designers Fabricate Masks and Shields to Combat COVID-19
• Texas – SA woman helps spark grassroots movement to donate 3D face shields to healthcare workers
• Massachusetts –Mass manufacture of disposable face shields for Covid-19 response
• Vermont  –Vermont Makerspace Hopes To Help Local Hospital By 3D Printing PPE
• New Mexico  – Makerspace prints up scarce medical equipment
• Massachusetts – With 3D printing, Middleboro makerspace combats coronavirus medical supply shortage
• New Hampshire – Locals 3-D print emergency personal protective equipment
• Washington – GOOD NEWS: Yakima Maker Space printing 3D masks for health care providers
• Pennsylvania – Pitt seeks local individuals and companies with 3D printing capabilities
• Washington – Yakima community workshop 3D printing face masks for hospitals
• Vermont – How Vermont businesses are creating new product lines to aid fight against the coronavirus
• Michigan – Group makes face shields during crisis
• Buckinghamshire, England – Carmarthenshire 3D-printing team create hundreds of coronavirus face shields a day
• Massachusetts – Design School turns 3D printers into PPE producers
• North Carolina – Local Makerspace Designs Laser-Cut Face Shields For Health Care Workers
• Brittish Columbia, Canada –Kamloops Makerspace creating face shields for frontline workers
• Maryland – Carroll County Public Library making face shields for medical workers ‘until they tell us to stop’
• Wyoming – Innovators in Wyoming, Montana team up to build PPE
• Rhode Island – Rhode Island Institutions 3D Print Protective Equipment Amid Shortages
• Tennessee – Shaw Industries creates its own hand sanitizer, donates medical face shields to local hospitals, nursing homes
• California – Departments across UC Irvine design, build face shields for medical staff in Orange
• Georgia – Savannah State University professors use 3D printing to produce PPE equipment
• Alberta Canada – Global coronavirus PPE effort has strong Calgary flavour

feature Photo by Bank Phrom