P.D. Merrill Makerspace

Have an idea you want to kick around?

Stop by the Makerspace in Decary 44 for Tuesdays with Mike 10 a.m.–12 p.m., 1–3 p.m. or by appointment.

The P.D. Merrill Makerspace at the University of New England (UNE) is an innovative resource that serves as a laboratory for creation and building. The Makerspace opened in the Spring of 2016 within the Department of Business. Since that time, the Makerspace has been incorporated into numerous courses throughout the College of Arts and Sciences and Westbrook College of Health Professions. A unique feature of UNE’s Makerspace is its intentional accessibility to all students regardless of discipline — from business to marine sciences to occupational therapy to osteopathic medicine — reinforcing the University’s commitment to interdisciplinary and interprofessional teaching and learning. It is also a key resource for the annual Student Innovation Challenge, an idea-stage competition that encourages innovative and sustainable solutions to social, environmental, and health issues facing our society. The P.D. Merrill Charitable Trust has been supporting the Student Innovation Challenge since 2016, with grants to support expenses and provide prizes. Seeing firsthand the importance of the Makerspace to many of the student projects entered in the Challenge, the Merrill Trustees made a grant of $200,000 in 2018 to expand the space.

The continued success of the Makerspace over the past three years has led to a new gift from the P.D. Merrill Charitable Trust that will be used to help increase the capacity of the Makerspace to support students across the University with an interest in innovation and entrepreneurship. In this context, the Makerspace has moved to a unit within the Office of the Provost to better position it as a university-wide resource. Funds from the recent gift will be used to add professional staff, bring visiting innovators to UNE to share their expertise with students, establish a presence on UNE’s Portland campus, and continue the Student Innovation Challenge.

The Makerspace is located on the lower level of Decary Hall, room 44.

UNE’s Student Innovation Challenge is an idea-stage competition that encourages innovative and sustainable solutions to social, environmental, and health issues facing our society. Winners receive cash awards to help advance their ideas to the next level. You don’t need to be a business major or have business experience to enter the challenge. What you do need is an idea that you believe in and are passionate about.

Whether you are an undergraduate, graduate or online student, you can enter. We encourage you to form transdisciplinary teams composed of undergraduate and graduate students. Throughout the fall and spring semester, we will offer workshops, seminars, and mentoring to help you develop your idea and prepare for the competition.