Albertsons Library Faculty: Advisors for the New Creative Technologies Association

Student learns about why bananas are conductive, and plays Tetris with bananas and MaKey MaKeys. You can check out your own MaKey MaKey at the library's Circulation Desk!

When the library purchased a 3D printer and began providing a service, the library faculty working with this device met a group of passionate students who wanted to pursue creative technologies outside their coursework. Scott Schmader, Greg Brasier, Elle (Michelle) Pyles, Veronica Blake, and Ian Gilman are the founding officers of the Creative Technologies Association (CTA), each coming from a different major and background. The CTA was recognized by ASBSU in Spring 2015.

Working together and collaboratively, this group of students has already been instrumental in providing workshops for their peers, hosting a MaKey MaKey build night and assisting Albertsons Library with the development of the MakerLab and with the 3D printer services.

Library faculty Deana Brown and Amy Vecchione are the faculty advisors for this group. As part of this network, we actively seek to engage fellow makers from the community, and from campus, to help create new knowledge through the process of critical making.

Many of the students that are members have worked on creative and technical projects: inventions, new designs, entrepreneurial business ideas. Each of them enjoy the aspects of critical making, reflecting back on what, of their projects, worked and what did not. 

To learn more about the organization visit OrgSync. From the constitution, they state that: 

The purpose of this organization shall be to: provide students and faculty with a campus-wide network of informational, social, and physical resources that will allow them to explore and expand their individual and group interests in the field of creative technology through various independently initiated projects. Furthermore, members will develop and use creative thinking skills that are highly applicable to a multitude of modern careers - ultimately being able to present their work in the CTA as part of a resume to future employers.

We are very excited to welcome this group to the Boise State campus.

There are several skill sets that the CTA wishes to learn more about including projection mapping, creating digital experiences, user experience design, building a quadcopter, and creating their own filament for 3d printing. Please get in touch if you want to work together and learn!

Contact Amy Vecchione amyvecchione@boisestate.edu and Deana Brown deanabrown@boisestate.edu to learn more!