The Studios @ Venture Labs, a collaboration between Penn Engineering and Wharton, are a collection of workspaces and labs located in Tangen Hall that allow Penn students interested in entrepreneurship and innovation to access digital and analog fabrication technologies in order to rapidly make their ideas a reality.
Pictured from left, Matheson Lodge (MEAM’23), Daryn Golub (MEAM’23, IPD’24) and Gaby Dobkin (CBE’24) examine plans to build a custom wheelchair for a toddler with cerebral palsy. Their club, Tikkun Olam Makers, is based in the Studios and fabricates adaptations for people with disabilities.
Alexa Chomat (IPD’24) created a beautiful laser-cut puzzle entitled Haetae for IPD/MEAM 4110: How to Make Things (a cornerstone course to the Studios’ mission) to connect with her grandmother, who speaks only Korean, while Alexa speaks only English. Each piece is etched with a question designed to facilitate meaningful conversation.
After Cole Fairchild (SSE’23, W’23) learned design and fabrication skills in the How to Make Things course last year, he regularly utilized the Studios for personal projects. Currently, he is working on a product he is piloting with friends that can be described as a “vibe in a box.”
Alum Max Liechty (IPD’22), pictured, worked with fellow student Kausi Raman (IPD’23) to create Inventable, a cardboard construction tool that empowers kids to design and build things. They are utiliz- ing the Studios and Venture Lab’s resources to bring this product to market in the near future.
Photos by Kevin Monko