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The People
The People
Many educational makerspaces focus on the "what" instead of the "who". This approach can lead to underused spaces, confused learners and educators, and hesitation to invest in hands-on maker education in the future. Research on inclusive makerspaces and our own findings reinforce that a space is only as impactful as the people who bring it to life.
The HIVE is built on collaboration, curiosity, and shared problem-solving, with the team shaping both the experience and culture of the space. Our existing team is eager to dive into new collaborative opportunities within the Faculty of Arts, but there are gaps to fill. Expanding the team with new roles will ensure that the HIVE remains an active, dynamic space for interdisciplinary collaboration.
Same Faces, New Roles
Same Faces, New Roles
Faculty Director, HIVE & Co-Director, MBMVC
Faculty Director, HIVE & Co-Director, MBMVC
Dr. Claudia Krebs will continue to lead the HIVE as Faculty Director and co-direct the forthcoming Master of Biomedical Visualization and Communication program, in addition to reduced teaching responsibilities in Medicine and Neuroscience.
Manager of Creative Design & Operations
Manager of Creative Design & Operations
Sean Jeon is currently the HIVE Product Manager. In the Hub, he will manage the HIVE's facilities, design projects, and operational logistics while leading creative facilitation workshops and applying agile methodologies (e.g., scrum) to support innovation.
Educational Innovation Lead, HIVE & Program Manager, MBMVC
Educational Innovation Lead, HIVE & Program Manager, MBMVC
Bee (Bailey) Lo is currently the Program Manager for the Certificate of Biomedical Visualization and Communication (BMVC). In the Hub, she will oversee all educational programming at the HIVE, including the Certificate and new Master of BMVC programs, provide learning experience design consultation, and collaborate with Arts communities to develop innovative educational opportunities.
Biomedical Visualization Lead, HIVE & Co-Director, MBMVC
Biomedical Visualization Lead, HIVE & Co-Director, MBMVC
Paige Blumer is currently the HIVE's Biomedical Visualization Specialist and Lead Instructor in the Certificate of Biomedical Visualization and Communication. In the Hub, she will co-direct the forthcoming Master of Biomedical Visualization and Communication program, and will split her time teaching in the Master of BMVC program and producing visualizations to support innovation.
Product Design Lead
Product Design Lead
Shyen-Yi Low is currently a part-time UX Contractor for the HIVE and Instructor in the Certificate of Biomedical Visualization and Communication. Creating a permanent Product Design Lead position will allow Shyen to provide his UX/UI expertise for collaborative projects and consult on usability and design thinking with HIVE collaborators.
3D Visualization Lead
3D Visualization Lead
Ishan Dixit is currently a part-time 3D Specialist for the HIVE and Instructor in the Certificate of Biomedical Visualization and Communication. Creating a permanent 3D Visualization Lead position will allow Ishan to provide 3D modelling and animation services and support visualization projects for HIVE collaborators.
Instructional Designer (Digital Learning)
Instructional Designer (Digital Learning)
Monika Fejtek is currently the HIVE's Instructional Designer. In the Hub, she will continue to design instructional materials, integrating HTML/CSS and interactive media into educational experiences.
Technical Specialist
Technical Specialist
Joe McCaig is a Photogrammetry Technician contracted part-time for an project with the Department of Pathology until March 2026. After this project wraps up, we will establish a HIVE Technical Specialist position where Joe would maintain and troubleshoot all equipment, support HIVE collaborators in using technical tools, and lead workshops to onboard users in technical skills.
New Roles for New Faces
New Roles for New Faces
Software Engineer (Interactive & immersive Media)
Software Engineer (Interactive & immersive Media)
One critical position that the HIVE is missing is a software engineer or developer with experience using C# / C++ / SQL, Unity, and Unreal Engine who can support the HIVE's innovation and experimentation initiatives by building digital tools and experiences.
Community Engagement & Accessibility Lead
Community Engagement & Accessibility Lead
Another important role we are missing is a Community Engagement & Accessibility Lead, who will implement accessibility best practices, and ensure equitable access to HIVE resources, programs, and technologies. They would also develop community partnerships with local high schools, industry, community clubs, and coordinate workshops.
Student CO-Op & Work-Learn Positions (Project-Specific)
Student CO-Op & Work-Learn Positions (Project-Specific)
We'd like to offer 4- and 8-month co-op positions and part-time work-learn positions to support specific projects. These roles would offer experiential learning opportunities in UX/UI design, software development, and visualization.
Student Co-OP & Work-Learn Positions (Not Project-Specific)
Student Co-OP & Work-Learn Positions (Not Project-Specific)
In addition to project-specific student postions, we're interested in also having both co-op and work-learn positions for general HIVE operations. These might include positions in community outreach & engagement, coordination, and collaborator onboarding.
The Space
The Space
The HIVE will be an open, flexible environment designed to encourage collaboration, creativity, and community. The physical design of the HIVE will reflect the idea of "low floors, high ceilings, wide walls"—a constructionist concept attributed to Seymour Papert and iterated upon by Mitchel Resnick—which emphasizes accessible entry points, expansive creative potential, and diverse pathways for engagement. The space will be structured to support both beginners and experts, ensuring that anyone can start easily (low floor), pursue ambitious projects (high ceiling), and explore a wide range of creative directions (wide walls). This approach will make the HIVE a place where Arts students, faculty, and staff can experiment, iterate, and push their work in unexpected directions while feeling supported at every stage.
Designing a Space for Collaboration & Creativity
Designing a Space for Collaboration & Creativity
The space will have ideation tools throughout, including whiteboards, round tables, and interactive displays to support brainstorming and visualization.
Breakout rooms with glass walls will provide areas for focused co-creation or low-disruption video conferencing with remote collaborators.
Comfortable social spaces with couches will invite informal gatherings and create welcoming break areas (Melo et al., 2023).
A sink for cleanup and proper ventilation for 3D printers and other equipment will ensure the space remains functional and safe.
Day-use storage will provide space for coats and bags, while staff storage will remain separate.
Natural light, plants, and art will enhance the atmosphere, making the space feel bright and inviting (Melo et al., 2023), and we would love to collaborate with Visual Arts students to create a mural in the space.
Designing a Space for Belonging
Designing a Space for Belonging
Official 2024 Every Child Matters design, created by artist Aliyah Bautista, used with the permission of the Orange Shirt Society.
Clear signage will communicate who is welcome upon crossing the threshold of the HIVE (Melo & Rodney, 2023), making sure our values are evident not just in how we operate but in how the space is designed.
As we design the space, we will deliberately showcase diverse applications of technology to challenge gendered and racialized perceptions of who is "allowed" to use what in the HIVE (March et al., 2022; Melo et al., 2023).
Movable, height-adjustable tables and adequate space between workstations will allow flexibility for individuals with varying mobility needs (Jung et al., 2024).
Quiet and sensory-friendly areas designated for low-stimulation will help accommodate individuals with sensory sensitivities (Jung et al., 2024).
Materials available in the HIVE will be procured using sustainable and low-cost methods wherever possible (Melo et al., 2023). The HIVE will partner with local organizations to arrange donations of recycled materials, prioritize tools that use low-emission methods (i.e., plant-based 3D printer filament), and only aim to recover costs if we charge for materials.
In addition to these inclusive design considerations based on the literature, we also plan to consult with Arts community focus groups to better understand how we might integrate accessibility and inclusivity into the design of the HIVE in ways that specifically address the UBC Arts community's needs.
Finding the Right Home
Finding the Right Home
Expanding the Current HIVE Space
Expanding the Current HIVE Space
The HIVE is currently located in the Life Sciences Centre (LSC), in four small student group rooms just off the main ground floor hallway, plus a lab prep room shared with Histology. While this space is not big enough to accommodate our needs, are are some pros to staying in this space if we could expand to nearby rooms:
A location in LSC would more easily facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science via the Life Sciences Institute (LSI).
This space is in the same building as the Gross Anatomy Lab, which would be extremely beneficial to the MBMVC program curriculum.
The space is across the hall from the Naiman-Vickars Multipurpose Room (MPR), which is a large room outfitted with pods of desks with multimedia functionality. The MPR is available to be booked for classes that may wish to work with the HIVE.
The shared lab prep room has ventilation that would be sufficient for our needs.
We are proposing to establish a long term agreement with the LSCI to maintain our current rooms as staff offices and expand to include Room 1510, which is a neighbouring classroom.
Room 1510 is large enough to accommodate our vision for a HIVE that can serve students in Arts and other faculties.
Room 1510 would require some renovations, mainly plumbing to add a sink.
Photo retrieved from UBC MedNet (2022).
Existing Arts Spaces
Existing Arts Spaces
The Arts Student Centre was designed to be a "common meeting ground for Arts students to interact across disciplines, with spaces to relax and connect, collaborate on projects, and host events"—which makes it an ideal location for the HIVE.
A location within Arts ISIT could integrate with their new faculty request pipeline, allowing the HIVE to support ideation and prototyping for projects beyond Arts ISIT's typical scope.
Photo retrieved from UBC Facilities (2022).
UBC Library
UBC Library
As the Humanities & Social Sciences library at UBC, collaborating with Koerner Library would align with models of educational makerspaces situated in central, high-traffic areas.
Rooms near the Emerging Media Lab demo space in Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, also in collaboration with the library, could create opportunities for shared initiatives and interdisciplinary projects.
Photo credit: Paul H. Joseph / UBC Brand & Marketing (2020)
Beyond Arts
Beyond Arts
The School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) is transitioning into their newly built facility on University Boulevard, which begs the question: what is happening to their old space in the Biomedical Research Centre on Health Sciences Mall? If there is space available in BRC, it could provide connections to SBME's undergraduate capstone projects.
Other possibilities remain open for exploration, with the goal of securing a central, adaptable location that serves the full Arts community.
Photo credit: Hover Collective / UBC Brand & Marketing (2016)
The Kit
The Kit
The HIVE will offer a range of tools and resources designed to support hands-on experimentation, digital creation, and collaborative problem-solving. To help orient makers to what's available, we will categorize our equipment and materials using a No Tech / Low Tech / High Tech framework, commonly used in makerspaces to highlight the different ways people can engage with the space.
No Tech: Traditional & Tactile Making
No Tech: Traditional & Tactile Making
For analog prototyping, crafting, and material-based exploration, the HIVE will provide the following:
Recycled and donated materials for lower environmental impact making
Craft supplies (paper, fabric, adhesives, cutting tools, etc.)
Lego blocks for quick idea prototyping
Hand tools (hammers, screwdrivers, levels, etc.)
Easels and poster printer for visualization and presentation
Paper cutter and vinyl cutter for precision crafting
Sewing machines, sergers, and a loom for textile-based projects
Low Tech: Mixed Media & Hands-On Fabrication
Low Tech: Mixed Media & Hands-On Fabrication
For projects that integrate manual and digital fabrication, the HIVE will include the following:
3D printers (resin, filament, ceramic)
Soldering station for electronics work
Raspberry Pis for simple coding projects
Laser cutter (small-scale, safe for general use)
3D laser scanner and photogrammetry equipment for digitizing objects
Audio recording equipment for capturing high-quality sound
Green screen for video production and virtual backgrounds
High Tech: Digital Creation & Interactive Media
High Tech: Digital Creation & Interactive Media
For digital design, visualization, and interactive experiences, makers will have access to the following:
VR headsets for immersive projects and extended reality (XR) applications
Projectors and monitors for large-scale visualization and presentations
iPads with Procreate and other creative apps for design and testing augmented reality (AR) prototypes
Workstations preloaded with software & paid subscriptions, including:
3D modeling & animation: Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D, Houdini
Game engines & interactive media: Unity, Unreal, Articulate Storyline
Design & visualization: Adobe Creative Cloud, Affinity, Figma, Miro
Productivity & project management: MS Office Suite, Asana, Canva, Notion
Unlike other makerspaces on campus, which are primarily fabrication-focused and house heavy machinery, the HIVE will emphasize accessible, creative, and interdisciplinary making. Instead of industrial-grade tools, we will provide what Langara Makerspace coordinator Philip Robbins calls "benign tools"—equipment that maximizes creative impact while minimizing risk to makers. The most hazardous equipment in the space will be 3D printers and a small laser cutter, both of which are safe to use after a staff-led orientation. This approach keeps the HIVE low-barrier, flexible, and welcoming to makers of all skill levels while differentiating it from other fabrication labs on campus.
In addition to the No Tech, Low Tech, and High Tech tools and equipment available for Arts students, faculty, and staff, the HIVE will also have essential infrastructure and resources to support project coordination, learning, knowledge sharing, and accessibility.
Operational Kit
Operational Kit
To ensure smooth operations and accessibility, the HIVE will also require the following:
A website for community updates and project showcases
The website should be designed to be screen-reader-friendly to improve accessibility, including clear headings, descriptive alt text, and keyboard navigation compatibility
Visual depictions of people in the HIVE will be representative of a diverse Arts community in an effort to stop reinforcing exclusionary narratives of who is welcome in a space like the HIVE
A point-of-sale system for material purchases (if applicable)
A booking system for reserving equipment, workstations, sensory-friendly areas, and for scheduling tool orientation workshops
Resource Library & Tools
Resource Library & Tools
To support continuous learning, knowledge exchange and accessibility the HIVE will maintain the following resources:
A physical library with resource books on design, prototyping, creative technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration
A virtual library housing:
A 3D model repository of creations made in the HIVE
Lesson plans and guides for educators and self-guided learning
A collaborative AI model designed specifically for use within the Faculty of Arts, developed and trained with input from the Arts community to support research, creative projects, and scholarly work.
Assistive technology including screen magnifiers and adaptive keyboards at workstations and closed captioning for all video resources
furniture & OFfice Kit
furniture & OFfice Kit
To improve the functionality of the equipment and the experience of the humans, the HIVE will need the following resources:
Ergonomic workstations for 8 staff and 6 workstations for student teams (height adjustable desk, office chair, monitor, hardware peripherals, etc.)
4 to 6 round tables with locking casters and 24 to 30 chairs with wheels
2 comfortable couches for social spaces
6 wall-mounted monitors for presenting ideas
8 to 10 whiteboards for brainstorming and ideation
24 to 40 day-use lockers for student use
Storage units for materials and staff use
4 to 6 workbenches on wheels, each with 4 stools
Key card access to the space
Wifi router(s) for improved internet connectivity
1 to 2 sinks for easy cleanup
The Experience
The Experience
The HIVE is more than a space filled with cool tech and maker supplies. It will provide opportunities to learn, create, and collaborate.
Faculty can host classes, working with HIVE staff to design hands-on, meaningful learning experiences that integrate ideation, prototyping, and visualization.
Undergraduate students can drop in to work on group projects during staffed hours, with extended access available for those enrolled in courses held in the space.
Graduate students designing their research projects can come to the HIVE for support with iterative prototyping, using rapid visualization and testing methods to refine ideas and develop solutions that align with their research goals.
HIVE staff will provide learning experience design support, workshop facilitation, media and tool orientations, and structured guidance to help makers explore what's possible.
What the HIVE is Not
What the HIVE is Not
The HIVE is not a fabrication shop, commercial production site, or service provider. It will exist to support the Faculty of Arts community and all projects should address a human-centred problem and contribute to teaching, learning, or scholarship. Collaborative projects are encouraged, and no work that perpetuates racist, sexist, ableist, or discriminatory ideologies will be permitted.
To ensure the space remains welcoming, ethical, and community-driven, the HIVE will operate under Rules of Play—a shared set of expectations modelled after Langara Makerspace's "Make Things Better" ethos and guidelines for personal projects. All collaborators will be involved in every step of their project's development and resources may not be used for purposes that do not serve the broader Arts community. This commitment to intentional making, shared responsibility, and ethical engagement defines what it means to create in the HIVE.
Paige Blumer
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