NTU's Maker Club reaches an international audience

The International Development Office recently hosted their annual Global Counsellors’ Conference, welcoming 29 delegates from 15 countries, and giving them a taste of each school within the University.

International delegates with their finished crafts

NTU’s Maker Club gives staff and students from across the University the chance to get hands-on within a diverse portfolio of ‘making’ sessions. For the conference, the Maker Club delivered two interactive activities for our international delegates to participate in – e-textile design and micro robots.

Kerry Truman, who founded the club, and works as a Senior Technician in the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, told us: “The session with the international visitors went well. Our final year BA (Hons) Product Design student Zoe Ellis was valuable on a number of levels.

Final crafts created under the guidance of the Maker Club

“Providing an interactive, hands-on workshop with such a large group of visitors relies upon the support of staff and students within the NTU community, and despite having a deadline for her final year, Zoe kindly took time out from her studies and offered support.”

He continued: “Students bring their personal voice to the room, and spark insightful conversations about their journey through university, enhancing the experience our international visitors get whilst with us at NTU.”

And as well as learning new skills, the club – which was established in 2016 – also gives staff and students the chance to become part of a creative community.

Activities on offer include traditional crafts, such as willow weaving, spoon carving and bowl turning, as well as creative sessions in areas including skateboard making, bamboo bicycle building, and concrete casting.

The club has certainly gone down well with students, resulting in Kerry winning the student union’s award for Outstanding Innovation in Teaching in both 2017 and 2018.

For further details of upcoming and future events, to volunteer or even share one of your own activities with the NTU Maker Club, contact NTUmakerclub@ntu.ac.uk or check out the #NTUmakerclub activity on Twitter.