Makerspaces

“Learning by doing” is a cornerstone of MIT’s educational philosophy, and “making” is an important part of the MIT experience. Makerspaces located throughout the campus offer access to tools and space for members of the MIT community to invent, prototype, and bring their ideas to physical life. The Institute has over 40 design/build/project spaces that add up to over 130,000 ft2 (12,077 m2). Tools and facilities for CNC routing, 3D printing, glassblowing, wood and metal working, mold making and casting, robotics, circuitry, textiles, ceramics, biomaking, and more are available for class, research, entrepreneurial, and personal projects. The Institute is building a next-generation campus-wide makerspace in the Metropolitan Storage Warehouse (Met), scheduled to open in late 2025.

Experiential learning

  • Nearly 60% of MIT undergraduates participate each year in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
  • In a typical year, roughly half of graduating seniors report participating in an international experience while at MIT.

Project Manus, part of the Morningside Academy of Design, is charged with enhancing campus making and fostering student maker communities. Current projects include MakerLodge, a first-year maker training program; The Deep and Metropolis, open-access makerspaces optimizing peer-to-peer hands-on trainings for the MIT community; MAKE/Mobius, an app for locating maker resources on campus and paying for materials; and developing programming for the new campus-wide makerspace in the Met.