Next-Make

Next-Make is a student group based around mutual teaching and learning of technical skills among its members. The purpose of Next-Make is to further the MIT philosophy of Mens et Manus by having its members engage in interesting projects relevant to their interests. We want to provide a place for hands-on, practical learning. There are many students at MIT and Next House who have wide-ranging technical knowledge and would be happy to share that knowledge with others. Next-Make is a place for this knowledge-sharing to occur, through seminars, build parties, and shared projects.

Originally established in the 2008-2009 school year, Next-Make’s inaugural project was the construction of a RepRap 3D printer, which was completed by CPW 2010. The 2010-2011 school year marked an especially vibrant beginning for Next-Make during the school year, as a number of Next House freshman as well as upperclassmen joined the group, interested in learning more about electronics, mechanical engineering, and software - as well as building an exceptional party lighting system for Next House.

The Large Project

Every year, Next-Make Exec chooses one or two large, rallying projects that many Next-Make members work on. This year, our The Large Projects are the Go Kart and Laser Harp.

In addition the large project, members also often work on other smaller, personal side projects that interest them. It's a great way to have fun, and to spread enthusiasm about cool ideas.

Build Parties and Seminars

At build parties, members all work together on The Large Project, or on personal projects if they prefer. These “tooling” projects are a lot of fun for all members. It's where people meet, and great friendships are made over great projects.

Education is very important to Next-Make. Next-Make hosts a number of useful and interesting seminars each term in which members teach other members cool technical topics. Some past seminars have included:

  • Soldering Seminar
  • Arduino/Microcontroller Seminar
  • Laser Cutter Seminar
  • Circuit Board PCB Seminar
  • Finite Element Analysis Seminar