Abstract
In 2023, Rochester Institute of Technology finished construction of a state-of-the-art makerspace to their growing campus. It was named the Student Hall for Exploration and Development, or, the SHED. It includes classrooms, lecture halls, collaborative makerspaces and a material library. The materials library offers hundreds of material samples - metals, plastics, naturals and more. Material libraries are a great resource for students looking to find high performing, sustainable and elegant materials for any project. They give students and professionals a hands-on understanding of available materials. In conversations with Mike Buffalin, the director of the SHED, I learned about the recent installation and ongoing development of the materials library. The collection was well under way but outreach for the space was yet to be explored. I then developed and evaluated a project to fulfill this purpose. The project draws parallels between the exploration of music and the navigation of materials. The educational analogy consists of a box of records, a record player and concert tickets.
Publication Date
4-29-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Student Type
Graduate
Degree Name
Industrial Design (MFA)
Department, Program, or Center
Design, School of
College
College of Art and Design
Advisor
Stan Rickel
Advisor/Committee Member
Lorraine Justice
Recommended Citation
Murphy, Evan, "Introducing Students to Material Libraries Through Interactive Play" (2024). Thesis. Rochester Institute of Technology. Accessed from
https://repository.rit.edu/theses/11814
Campus
RIT – Main Campus