STEM

Babson to Build Interdisciplinary Collaborative Space

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 09/18/17

Babson College will build a new facility designed to host student-led projects and encourage product development and entrepreneurship.

Located on the edge of campus near neighboring Olin College, the Weissman Foundry, as the facility will be called, will be open to students of both institutions. Faculty, students and staff of Olin were even invited to help design the 9,800-square-foot facility, which will include flexible classrooms, maker spaces and resources for programming and prototyping.

"Students from Babson and Olin colleges are already taking courses together and working on joint businesses as part of our Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab and Summer Venture Program," said Babson College President Kerry Healey in a prepared statement. "With the addition of the Weissman Foundry, which includes fabrication equipment that complements Olin's facilities, our students will be even better equipped to use their collaborative business, engineering and liberal arts educations in creating more impactful economic and social value everywhere."

"Students can look forward to the use of modern technologies and tools, including 3D printers, large-format printers and laser cutters, as well as other industry-specific equipment, such as sewing machines, soldering equipment and computer boards," according to a news release. "The Weissman Foundry will also be home to a kitchen that will be used for cooking demonstrations and events, in addition to flexible office space, a conference room and more."

"The Weissman Foundry will leverage the interest that students have around innovation and design," said Babson College Provost Michael Johnson in a prepared statement. "We needed a space where our students can use their hands, get messy and actually build things: where they can take ideas that develop from entrepreneurial thought and action and then transform them into actual prototypes. This new student-led and course-enriched environment will help realize the full potential of our collaboration."