Maker Takeover is the Maker Hub’s largest annual celebration that brings students, staff and faculty together to showcase their creative projects, including made-from-scratch musical instruments, custom designed clothing and furniture, and much more.
Elon University’s annual Maker Takeover is the Maker Hub’s largest event of the year and will take place on Wednesday, May 1, in the Moseley Center from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
With more than 40 student-made projects on display, including the projects of the 2024 Kickbox recipients and consultant-made projects made at the Maker Hub, the event will include various fun activities, such as retro-arcade games, an escape room, and ice cream made from liquid nitrogen.
“What was most memorable to me about last year’s Maker Takeover was the button and sticker-making table,” said Eliza Gregory ’26, who attended last year’s event. “It was enlightening to talk with the consultants and turn on my creative brain with the smiley face sticker that I still have and proudly display on my laptop.”
“It’s so much more than a display or a show-and-tell of various creative projects,” said Julia Rosen ’26. “It was fun and interactive with the retro arcade and talking with all the student creators. I’m really excited to see how this year’s event will be different.”
New this year are the Adulting workshops that will also happen on May 1 before Maker Takeover. “We teamed up with Facilities Management to help both students and employees learn some basic skills of being an adult – lawn and flower care, plumbing, and home painting,” said Dan Reis, a senior instructional technologist and Maker Hub manager.
Students attending the Maker Takeover will have the chance to make buttons and stickers, use heat press vinyl to design a T-shirt, try different power tools and join a collaborative art project. There will also be opportunities to make DIY crafts, enter giveaways and learn about the Hub’s 3D Design contest with $1,000 in prizes. Attendees can also browse items for sale from student vendors at the Oak Originals pop-up event.
This year’s event will display the 2024 Elon Kickbox recipients. Kickbox is a program through the Maker Hub in which students submit an idea to receive a $300 stipend along with support and guidance to make their idea come to life. Ideas might have entrepreneurial or creative focuses, which students want to make a reality.
Among the 13 Kickbox projects to be displayed at the Maker Takeover this year is a 3D-printed reflector telescope created by Josh Trubinsky ’26. “I remember being a little kid fascinated with space and always looking up at the stars. This year, I wanted to try the Kickbox challenge and create a telescope that would be good enough to view the moon and other planetary bodies while also creating room for growth into astrophotography,” Trubinsky said. Learn more about Trubinsky’s progress and the other 12 Kickbox projects on the Maker Hub’s website.
Student Consultants in the Maker Hub will also put their creative ideas into play and showcase their own projects. This includes an Irish-Chain quilt made by Sarah Clarke ’24. Clarke’s inspiration came from her hometown culture.
“In Appalachia, quilting is a large part of the culture, and it has always been a goal of mine to make a quilt,” Clarke, said. “I’m graduating this year, and I thought it could be special to use the materials and resources in the Hub to finally make a quilt that I can have in my apartment next year.”
Check out Clarke’s quilt and dozens of other innovative and creative ideas, including made-from-scratch musical instruments, original board games, a DIY robotic arm, custom-designed clothing and furniture, and prototype inventions to help others navigate life more easily. Learn how these students developed their ideas and inspire your own creativity at this year’s Maker Takeover.
Stay updated with the Maker Hub’s happenings and find out more about the Maker Takeover by following its Instagram page @elonmakers or visiting one of the two Maker Hub locations in the Colonnades E building or downtown above Pandora’s Pies.