When you walk into the I-Create lab, you might notice a variety of strange and wonderous items adorning the walls of the makerspace. Nearly all these items were handcrafted by the various workers of the lab, meaning that each of these objects carries a story behind it. Some of these stories are funny, others are frightening, but each is assuredly interesting. Three of these stories will be discussed in “Tales from the I-Create Lab.”
The Shark
Shark week has been near and dear to the hearts of many since its inception decades ago, and I-Create is no different! While the university traditionally celebrates the week with a downtown bash, we decided that we would celebrate in our own way. Workers at the lab mapped out and cut this aquatic behemoth from stock cardboard lying in the back room. They then painted both sides of the shark’s gray body. One side of the shark is painted with all its anatomically correct parts, like gills, its beady black eyes, and its massive gaping chompers. The other side features a variety of shark silhouettes and an intricately detailed decal of a great white bursting from the surf!
Though a shark’s traditional abode is the ocean, this one can be found floating in the middle of the makerspace. There are even a few mini sharks lying around, if you know where to look for them!
Cookie Champ 2019
One momentous day during the holiday season, two I-Create workers were talking amongst themselves. Yvette proclaimed her desire to make cookies. Gregg said, “Sure we can make cookies, but why not make this a contest?” Fellow student worker Emily then chimed in and said that should this contest happen; she would beat them both. The entire office then agreed to engage in a festive cookie bake-off. Thus, a tradition was born. Frosted sugar, oatmeal, and even pumpkin cookies all valiantly tried to claim the status of supreme cookie king. Alas, Emily made good on her word and won the prize with her loaded chocolate chip cookies.
Though she has since left the lab, this photo hangs in commemoration of her victory and the creation of the annual cookie challenge. It was turned upside down at the beginning of the pandemic with the promise that it would be turned right side up once everything returns to normal.
Doctor Who?
Fans of Doctor Who may recognize David Tennant’s iconic take on the doctor hanging around I-Create. Created on the labs large format printer, the usually good doctor has taken on a much more malicious presence in the lab.
“Once, I went to turn on the break room light, only to spot him staring straight at me!” said student worker Autumn Hutchins.
“I spotted him peeking out at us from inside the dark CNC room,” said Skally Benitez, graduating student worker. “Who knows how long he had been there staring!”
No one knows why the doctor is so pre-occupied with our humble makerspace, but we are happy to look after him until he returns to his home on Gallifrey. That is, so long as he stops spooking our workers!