Running a business on your own is not the easiest feat, according to Marufa Bhuiyan, an analog astronaut and founder of Everest Innovation Lab.
To support her current projects and revisit her 3D printing skills, Bhuiyan attended the Make and Take Workshop hosted by the Pacific Asian Center of Entrepreneurship (PACE) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Bhuiyan’s company, Everest Innovation Lab is an organization based in Hawaiʻi focused on creating a curriculum for students and professionals in the education, tourism and space industries. The lab aims to bring awareness about satellites and space, and offers various analog astronaut training programs.
“I learned how to 3D print back when I was a student, but I don’t recall printing something like today, so it’s going back to memory and learning,” said Bhuiyan. “I think it’s a privilege to come here and be part of the community again.”
Bhuiyan hopes to come back to the Maker Space to be able to print a 3D printed name tag logo for her company.
The second installment of the Make and Take workshop this semester focused on 3D printing, on Oct. 18 from 4 to 6 p.m., offering students a chance to get more familiar with crafting and prototyping. This hidden space is known as Maker Space at Walter Dods Jr. RISE Center, provides resources and hands-on experience for idea development.
This workshop introduced students to the fundamentals of 3D printing, covering topics such as slicing, converting 3D file models into instruction for 3D printers, filament types and the types of 3D printers. Attendees walked through the steps of printing a small 3D pumpkin ornament, providing a tutorial of the process.
“This event is a hidden gem in Mānoa,” said Timothy Lum, an associate in the Maker Space program. “Not only is it a beautiful building (Walter Dods Jr. RISE Center), but we have technology that is not your typical things that you would see, and know, and it’s available to our students.”
Not only can students participate in these hands-on crafting, but they also have access to resources to help them kick off their business.
Lum observed that some students are already using the Maker Space to develop prototypes for their own startups. “We have a handful of students that are currently working on their prototypes.” “They’re using 3D printers to make all the pieces for their clients,” he explained.
Outside of the Make and Take events, the 3D printers are available to all UH System students through a request form for access to the space. Students are permitted to use up to one kilogram of filament; once they have exhausted this supply, they must provide their own for future projects.
The Maker Space currently houses four Bambu X1 Series printers and uses PLA filament, which is both biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
For more information on the Make and Take events and the Maker Space, visit https://pace.shidler.hawaii.edu/maker/.
