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Conference Details

Conference Goal

The goal of this year’s conference is to create a platform to bring together student and professional managers/directors/leaders from a wide array of institutions across the country.

Topics of discussion will include student shops of different configurations, focuses and management structures, maker spaces, student-run spaces, and safety & EHS Management.

Conference Focus

“Standardizing Operating procedures and inculcating Risk & Quality Management into Educational Shops”

This year’s conference will focus on bringing in industry standards and practices to the training, safety and operations areas of educational shops. We will hear from a number of experts on the subject of standardizing our shop practices based on industry standards to raise the level of proficiency, increase risk mitigation and provide easy access to guidance and oversight in practice. We will also discuss the possible applications of these standards to student run makerspaces.

Who Will Attend

Shop managers, technicians, university faculty, students, and anyone else who has an interest in improving the proficiency and reach of their shops while simultaneously reducing the risk involved and creating a template upon which new spaces can be set up with ease.

What to Expect

Seminars on several key aspects of student safety, training and standards in educational shops, Panel discussions on the same, group discussions about specific kinds of shops, tours of Northwestern’s various shops, and a BBQ party by the gorgeous Lake Michigan.

Daily Schedule