Instructors: apply for materials stipends through the BeAM Maker Course Mini-Grant program. Learn More.

PHYS 100: How Things Work

Familiar, everyday mechanisms are a great way to see physics in action – including mechanics (e.g. cars, carnival rides), thermodynamics (e.g. ovens, air conditioners), electricity and magnetism (e.g., microwaves, radio), and light (e.g., lasers, light bulbs). Students in PHYS 100 design and construct a time-keeping device in the BeAM makerspaces to learn about the critical impact of clocks on the advancement of science.

Pictured: A PHYS 100 student assembles their clock escapement project in the makerspace.
CLAS 059: Ancient Magic and Religion

Bindings and curses, love charms and healing potions, amulets and talismans – from simple spells to complex group rituals, ancient societies made use of both magic and religion to try to influence the world around them. Students in CLAS 059 create remixed replicas of ancient objects as a way to investigate the materials and usability of objects related to ancient religious and magical practices.

Pictured: A collection of ‘curse tablets’ created by a CLAS 059 student group.
GEOG 115: Maps: Geographic Information from Babylon to Google

A map presents a portal to a new world, or to new ways of understanding the worlds we think we know. Beyond their communicative power and value for navigation, maps serve as tools of political or economic control, and, when read carefully, expose the underlying social dynamics of power that shape our world. Students in GEOG 115 complete map making projects to learn how to design, create, and critique maps.

Pictured: GEOG 115 students gather in the makerspace to design and create laser-cut maps.
GEOL 101L: Planet Earth

Geology is not just the study of rocks - it is the study of the Earth as a whole, and the complex processes that shape and change it throughout time. Students in GEOL 101L learn the fundamentals of geology: making observations of the natural world, using observations and inferences to formulate a scientific question, developing a testable hypothesis that answers that question, and testing the hypothesis.

Picture: A GEOL 101L student's exaggerated topographic model of Chapel Hill, used to predict flooding.
ARTH 201: Making Material Histories

Clay, wood, cloth, glass, steel, and plastic. We use these materials every day, but rarely do we think about their properties and histories. How did the race to produce Asian porcelain in the 18-century West impact globalization? How will 3D printing expand the uses of plastics in realms from fashion to weaponry? Students in ARTH 201 explore the impact of materials on art, culture, and science throughout history.

Pictured: An ARTH 201 student solders a metal sculpture in the BeAM makerspace.
COMM 690/ARTS 490: Movie Making Machines

Though we generally think of movies as the result of the work of screenwriters, cinematographers, actors, and directors, movies are also the product of a range of technological innovations. Students in COMM 690/ARTS 490 design and fabricate cameras, lenses, film strips, and movie projectors using the BeAM makerspaces, applying emerging technologies to traditional movie making methods.

Pictured: A COMM/ARTS student uses 3D printed and laser cut pieces to create a 3D zoetrope.
APPL 412: Turning Your Entrepreneurial Ideas Into Reality

Do you have an entrepreneurial idea that you want to prototype? Do you want to experience the design and making process? Turn your entrepreneurial ideas into reality, using the BeAM makerspaces to create functional, physical versions of your user-centered designs. Students in APPL 412 discover that entrepreneurial ideas can emerge from discussions with their campus, local, and global communities.

Pictured: An APPL 412 student consulting on the design of a portable shoe dryer.
MASC 053: FYS The Ends of the Earth: Polar Oceanography and Exploration

What explains the "pull of the poles"? What motivated early explorers to undergo great hardships to investigate the Arctic and Antarctic? Students in MASC 053 connect the design and making process to the experiences of early polar explorers as well as modern oceanographers, who often have to improvise and fix or build or create things on the spot, with materials at hand, in order to solve specific problems.

Pictured: Students in MASC 053 test the arctic exploration vessels they designed and built.
ASIA 069/PWAD 069: FYS Wars and Veterans: Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan

Wars and conflicts, particularly Iran-Iraq, U.S.-Iraq, and U.S.-Afghanistan wars, are portrayed extensively in literature, film, and photography. What is impact of war on the human psyche? Students in ASIA 069/PWAD 069 interpret the writings of American war veterans and Middle East authors to discuss the phenomenon of war, reflecting on these works to create a narrative object-oriented exhibit.

Pictured: An exhibition on themes of war, created by an ASIA/PWAD student.
BIOL 064: FYS Flow Through Organs and Organisms

The natural world is replete with examples of animals and plants whose shape influences flow to their benefit. For example, the shape of a maple seed generates lift to allow for farther dispersal. A falcon’s form during a dive reduces drag and allows it to reach greater speeds. Students in BIOL 064 design their own physical modeling project and create a prototype using the BeAM makerspaces.

Pictured: A student in BIOL 064 models the flow of liquids around a 3D printed alligator.
IDST 117: III Experiencing Latin America: Bodies, Nature, Belonging

This Ideas, Information, and Inquire (III) course is taught by a visual artist, a Spanish teacher, and a geographer. The course covers topics such as border-crossings, well-being, and socio-environmental justice through Spanish language-based films and artwork. Students in IDST 117 engage in both individual and collaborative assignments that involve performance, creative design, and fabrication.

Pictured: An IDST 117 student shows off their project – an embroidered jacket.
PSYC 053: FYS Talking About Numbers: Communicating Research Results to Others

How do you persuade others with numbers? What are the common biases and fallacies that we have in understanding numbers and statistics? There are many ways that data are reported to the public in our everyday lives, through advertising and media as well as scientific journal articles. Students in PSYC 053 use the design and making process to make abstract topics about numbers more concrete.

Pictured: Students in PSYC 053 present a prototype of a interactive statistical model.
MASC 442/BIOL 457: Marine Biology

Marine environments contain a rich diversity of organisms, from single-celled phytoplankton to sea birds and marine mammals. Each organism uses special physiological adaptations to live in their marine habitat, whether that’s the deep sea or our own Carolina coast. Students in MASC 442/BIOL 457 use their new knowledge about functional biology, ecology, and biodiversity to describe a newly discovered organism.

Pictured: A 3D printed frog with unique adaptations designed by a MASC/BIOL student.

PHYS100

CLAS059

GEOG115

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ARTH201

COMM690ARTS490

APPL412

MASC053

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BIOL064

IDST117

PSYC053

MASC442BIOL457

UNC-Chapel Hill is an institution of innovative learning, where educators continually pioneer creative ideas for new curriculum. BeAM is here to help, supporting faculty and instructors who want to integrate design and making into their courses.

Instructors from more than 30 different academic departments have integrated BeAM-supported maker projects into their courses. BeAM supports many different types of maker project, from low-fidelity prototypes that students create at home, to complex digital design projects that students fabricate in the makerspaces.

Read this report from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education to learn more about the positive impact of maker education on student learning and cognition.

Read about how design, making, and makerspaces fit into the new Gen Ed Curriculum.

Click on the ‘Makerspace Course List’ button, ‘Course Design’ button, or the ‘Remote Learning’ button to see additional BeAM resources and information.

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