Jacobs Hall
Jacobs Hall was designed to promote modern design education by providing a flexible space for students to prototype, iterate, and fabricate their projects. At Jacobs, anything and everything, whether it is for a class, club, competition, or curiosity, is welcome. Although the facility has just recently opened its doors, it already offers around five Design Innovation courses and hosts over a dozen more from other departments every semester. Next year, the senior biodesign capstone course (BioE 192) will also make this building its home base.
Upon our arrival to Jacobs Hall, we were met by Director of Programs and Operations Emily Rice and Student Services Advisor Amy Dinh. Once there, we wasted no time setting off to see what this facility had to offer. We began at the basement level, a space outfitted with a wood fabrication equipment (table saws, vertical band saws, disk sanders, sliding compound miter saws, variable speed drill presses) and a CAD lab that students could use to produce blueprints for their projects. Ms. Rice and Ms. Dinh then lead us to the first level of the building, the floor designated for general fabrication and prototyping. Equipped with nine Type A Series 1 Pro 3D printers that are constantly churning out student projects, two Universal Systems laser cutters, two Juki industrial sewing machines, a couple experimental 3D printers, and a host of other handy prototyping tools, the first floor was the heart of Jacobs Hall. From there, we moved on to the second level, which contained a fully stocked electronics lab as well as an audio/visual production lab that many clubs use to make posters. The third and final level held an advanced prototyping lab that had a multitude of high-end 3D printers capable of using exotic materials and producing very fine resolution.
The sheer amount of advanced equipment within the building can be overwhelming for many first-time tinkerers. However, Jacobs Hall offers many resources to ensure that any novice has the proper skills and confidence to use the equipment correctly. In fact, the facility requires everyone to go through a general workshop training and only allows people access to advanced equipment after they have gone through additional training, regardless of any previous experience. The building is also staffed by experts who are there to provide assistance and to support project development.
Our visit to Jacobs Hall revealed just how extensive its prototyping capabilities truly were. We look forward to using the facility in the future and watching it grow into an integral part of campus life.
