Makerspace

The P.D. Merrill Makerspace

The P.D. Merrill Makerspace is a fully equipped laboratory for creating and building, turning ideas into reality, and developing solutions to real-world problems. Whether you come to the Makerspace as part of a class, as a student researcher or innovator, or just for fun, the Makerspace has something to offer every student — regardless of program or major.

The Makerspace comprises two labs, one for fabrication and one for digital design.

Fabrication Lab

The P.D. Merrill Makerspace’s Fabrication Lab is a place where anyone can make (almost) anything. All planning, design, production, and fabrication processes are done in one place.

The laser cutter is a student favorite and can be used to engrave on and cut a variety of materials, including leather, acrylic, and glass. In addition to fiber art supplies, woodworking tools, a vinyl cutter, and a sewing machine, the lab also boasts 3D printers and an electronics station.

Whether you need to create a physical device for a research project, make your homework assignment stand out, or you simply want to come in to learn new skills and make something cool — the tools and materials in the Fabrication Lab are available to all students. Our professional staff provides training on all the equipment, no experience is necessary to get started.

Design Lab

The Design Lab is a technology hub — a place where students can create a digital simulation or demo of a product idea. In our Design Lab, you’ll have access to powerful Alienware computers to work on application and software development so that you can create digital prototypes of the products you envision. You can use the Design Lab to develop apps, virtual games, GIS applications, 3D models, and more.

Whether you visit the Design Lab as part of class in business, marine science, aquaculture, neuroscience, or another discipline, or you come in independently with an idea all your own, your time here will help transform a concept into a reality while providing you with the opportunity to develop valuable technical skills that will boost your resume and your career prospects. Our professional staff provides training on all the software, no experience is necessary to get started.

Explore Student Makerspace Projects

Tracking Ocean Conditions

Sarah Piehler (’22) and Olivia Hardy (’22) create a prototype of a buoy that can remotely monitor oceanic conditions.

Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence

Jessica Minieri (’23) and Calum Murray (’24) team up to create a fundamentals of AI curriculum to benefit fellow students.

Monitoring Coral Health

Grace Frohock (’22) discusses her research in determining the health of ocean corals by measuring their fluorescence with advanced camera technology.

Smart Baby Blanket

Hannah Welch (’21) shows off the “smart baby blanket” she developed in the Makerspace. It calibrates the level of heat needed by each individual infant.

Location and Hours of Operation

Join us! You are welcome to drop in at the Makerspace any time during open hours.

P.D. Merrill Makerspace
Rooms 44, 51, and 52
Decary Hall
Biddeford Campus
(207) 602-2848

Drop in and a staff member or student will be there to assist you Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The Makerspace is also open on Fridays by appointment.

About P.D. Merrill and the Charitable Trust

The P.D. Merrill Charitable Trust has been a strong supporter of innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives at the ɫ��Ƶand has given several annual gifts, starting in 2013, to support the Student Innovation Challenge, the precursor of today’s Maine Ideas Challenge, an idea-stage competition that encourages innovative and sustainable solutions to social, environmental, and health issues facing our society.

P.D. Merrill was chair of Merrill Industries and a prominent business leader in the Portland community. He and his father established Merrill’s Marine Terminal in Portland, through which Maine gets its road salt and other industrial commodities, including newsprint for the Boston Globe, New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

He was instrumental in the renovation of what is now Merrill Auditorium, named in honor of his parents. He chaired the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Business Alliance from 1998 to 1999, was a founder of the Maine Economic Research Institute and was active in both the International Forest Products Transportation Association and the Industrial Advisory Board of the Loeb Sullivan School of International Business and Logistics at the Maine Maritime Academy. He was also involved in a wide variety of other philanthropic endeavors throughout the state.

Merrill joined ɫ��Ƶ’s Board of Trustees in 1984, serving as chair of the Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2000 when Westbrook College joined ɫ��Ƶ.

The Merrill Trust made a significant gift in 2017 to expand the Makerspace with rooms and equipment to support digital application innovation and development. The most recent gift in 2019 provided further support for the Student Innovation Challenge, funds to add professional staff, and funds to bring visiting innovators from other industry and academic institutions to ɫ��Ƶ to share their expertise with students.