International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces 2025
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Workshops
9:00am – 12:00pm
ISAM 101 Workshop: Design, Build and Manage a Makerspace – Jacobs Hall, 3rd Floor (pre-registration required)
Thought leaders and practitioners from the Higher Education Makerspace Initiative will cover fundamental principles of successful makerspaces such as:
- Understanding the general types and their particular strengths
- The importance of culture and community
- Staffing and training models
- Optimizing access while minimizing boundaries
- Creating effective safety systems and commensurate policies
- Using data to assess impact and justify decisions
- Q&A session open to audience inquiries on applying the presented information to unique circumstances
Includes breakfast for registered attendees.
1:00pm – 5:00pm
ISAM 102 Workshop: Makerspace Prototyping, Pedagogy, and Practical Setup – Jacobs Hall, 3rd Floor (pre-registration required)
This workshop will consist of two main sections: an in-depth tour of fabrication equipment and hands-on project experience in an educational environment.
In-Depth Tour: Participants will be guided on an in-depth tour of the Jacobs Makerspace, where they will learn about approaches to running and equipping a campus-wide makerspace. Participants will be broken into small groups that will rotate amongst equipment categories (e.g., 3d printing, laser cutting-engraving, wood working, metal machining, etc.) to learn the capabilities, pros versus cons, common applications, and user access.
Hands-on Prototyping and Pedagogy: Participants will work in groups to build an interactive hands-on project demonstrating advanced makerspace methods and approaches to teaching those techniques. Workshop contents include:
- Advanced design for 3D printer and laser cutter fabrication
- Lasercut joinery techniques with and without fasteners
- Simple electronics assembly tips and tricks, including various electronic connectors, cable management, and panel-mount components
- Designing for motion (simple kinematics, gears, cams, torque)
- Free and open source software options for electronic and mechanical design
- Prototyping techniques: iteration, unit testing, debugging, physical prototyping for finding tolerances, etc.
- Pedagogical approaches to teaching all of the above
- Getting to know other workshop participants through team project building
Includes lunch for registered attendees.
Tours
Various Times
Optional tours of Bay Area Design and Innovation Centers of Excellence – SOLD OUT
3pm – 5pm
UC Berkeley Makerspace tours – register via ExOrdo
Symposium Check In
Welcome Reception
6:00pm – 8:30pm
Mingle with your fellow ISAM 2025 attendees at the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation (Jacobs Hall). Drinks and appetizers served.
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Symposium Check In
7:30am – 5:00pm
Registration and Support Desk – UC Berkeley Student Union Lobby , MLK Jr. Building
Tours
8:00am – 8:45am
UC Berkeley Makerspace tours – register via ExOrdo
Breakfast
8:15am – 9:00am
Breakfast – Pauley Ballroom & Patio, MLK Jr. Building
Symposium
9:00am – 9:15am
Welcome to ISAM 2025 – Pauley Ballroom & Patio, MLK Jr. Building
Aaron Hoover Keynote
9:30am – 10:45am
Adam Savage, New York Times bestselling author, multiple Emmy-nominated producer/host (Mythbusters), highly decorated YouTube creator (Tested.com), and internationally acclaimed science communicator, and cosplayer.
Break
10:45am – 11:00am
Paper Session 1
11:00am – 12:00pm
Lunch
12:00pm – 1:30pm
Lunch • Demos • Sponsors – Pauley Ballroom & Patio, Stephens Room, Kerr Lobby, MLK Jr. Building
Paper Session 2
1:30pm – 2:30pm
Tours
12:15pm – 1:00pm
UC Berkeley Makerspace tours – register via ExOrdo
Posters & Demonstrations – Day One
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Panel
3:30pm – 4:15pm
Students as Makers, Mentors and Leaders, Pauley Ballroom
Paper Session 3
4:15pm – 5:00pm
Views, Vibes & Magic Mixer
5:30pm – 8:00pm
Mingle and meet over drinks and hors d’oeuvres overlooking San Francisco Bay at UC Berkeley’s University Club. PLUS enjoy a special performance by Andrew Evans.
Andrew Evans is a designer, entrepreneur and magician. He founded and built The Magic Patio—a magic speakeasy tucked in a hidden corner of San Francisco—and his unique magic inventions have been featured at The Magic Castle in Hollywood and on national television for Penn and Teller’s: Fool Us. Beyond the stage, Andrew worked as a Design Lead at IDEO and Nike, and was a lecturer in Design Leadership at Stanford University’s d.school. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Brown University, and Master’s Degree in Product Design from Stanford.
Friday, August 8, 2025
Symposium Check In
8:00am – 5:00pm
Registration and Support Desk – Kerr Lobby , MLK Jr. Building
Tours
8:00am – 8:45am
UC Berkeley Makerspace tours – register via ExOrdo
Breakfast
8:15am – 9:00am
Breakfast – Pauley Ballroom & Patio, MLK Jr. Building
Symposium
9:00am – 9:15am
Announcements – Pauley Ballroom & Patio, MLK Jr. Building
Paper Session 4
9:30am – 10:45am
Break
10:45am – 11:00am
Paper Session 5
11:00am – 12:00pm
Lunch
12:00pm – 1:30pm
Lunch • Demos • Sponsors – Pauley Ballroom & Patio, Stephens Room, Kerr Lobby, MLK Jr. Building
Featured Presentation
12:15pm – 1:00pm
Karl D.D. Willis, Senior Research Manager, Autodesk— Pauley Ballroom
In this talk, Autodesk Research’s Senior Research Manager Karl D.D. Willis will explore the evolution from generative design to generative AI, sharing how foundational models are transforming professional design workflows across architecture, engineering, and manufacturing. He’ll offer an inside look at how these advances are being integrated into the Fusion product roadmap—reshaping the role of the designer and unlocking new creative possibilities.
Tours
12:15pm – 1:00pm
UC Berkeley Makerspace tours – register via ExOrdo
Paper Session 6
1:30pm – 2:00pm
Posters & Demonstrations – Day Two
2:15pm – 3:15pm
Closing Keynote
3:15pm – 4:15pm
Leah Buechley is a pioneering designer and engineer best known for inventing the LilyPad Arduino, which made electronics wearable, sewable, and creatively accessible. As founder of the High-Low Tech group at the MIT Media Lab, she blended high-tech tools with traditional crafts—like paper circuits, interactive clothing, and glowing origami. Her work has been featured in museums and has inspired a global community of makers, artists, and educators. Now a professor at the University of New Mexico, she leads the Hand and Machine Research Group, reimagining how we teach, design, and play with technology.
Pauley Ballroom
Closing
4:15pm – 5:00pm
People’s Choice Awards
Awards
Closing Remarks
Announcement of ISAM 2026!