Endless possibilities: Gizmo launches a free membership program for NIC students

Gizmo: Coeur d’Alene’s Makerspace, housed right on the North Idaho College campus, is starting a new program that will allow select NIC students to have full access to Gizmo’s facilities for free.

On the last Saturday of every month, 10 students who have filled out and submitted an application will be selected and granted a full membership at Gizmo. Chosen students will have access to all of the widespread resources available in the facilities for as long as they remain students at NIC.

This could be your new homework space! Gizmo offers a full computer lab housed inside a brightly lit vault-like room. The lab is one of many incredible spaces available to students that enter into the program.

Reina Netzel, a Gizmo employee, said “You basically have everything under the sun, you can make literally anything you put your   mind to.”

Netzel went on to recite an impressive list of resources Gizmo has to offer, such as a full wood shop, welding equipment, a machining shop, laser cutters, 3-D printers, computer labs, a virtual reality lab, and much more.

Rows of colorful thread give a taste of the endless
possibilities open to student’s imaginations at Gizmo.

“That’s half of it, the other half is textiles, UV printers, quilting, sewing, jewlery and leather; each one has their own station!” Netzel said. “If you’re like into rocks, we have a whole room for that!”

The program still has two available spots to fill for the month of February, so if you’re interested in having free access to this expansive creative space, make sure to fill out and submit an application by Saturday, Feb. 1. 

For additional information regarding the program and its guidlines, contact Gizmo’s volunteer training coordinator, Sam Armstrong at (717) 645-6478 or visit Gizmo’s website

(This post was edited on Feb. 1, 2020)