project-manus-logo
mit-logo

Project Manus is MIT’s effort to upgrade campus makerspaces and foster student maker communities.

Address

77 Massachusetts Ave,
Building 35-237
Cambridge, MA 02139

Phone

(617) 258-7609

Connect

Close Shelf

Making at MIT

In a makersystem, local makerspaces network together to offer specialized capabilities to a larger community.

For Students

We are working hard to make sure MIT students have access to the tools, spaces and information they need to make, create and innovate.

Mobius

Mobius connects students, faculty and researchers with nearby resources they can use to make, measure and innovate.

Our Team

For general inquiries about MIT Project Manus, please contact usFor questions about the Mobius app, please contact Jonathan Hunt.

J. Kim Vandiver

J. Kim Vandiver

Director & Prof of MechE and Ocean Engineering

Professor Vandiver is the Director of MIT Project Manus and the MIT Edgerton Center As a grad student Professor Vandiver worked with Doc Edgerton in the 1970’s in the “Strobe Project... Expand

Professor Vandiver is the Director of MIT Project Manus and the MIT Edgerton Center

As a grad student Professor Vandiver worked with Doc Edgerton in the 1970’s in the “Strobe Project Lab” publishing beautiful high speed images of bubbles, shock waves and projectiles [See Schlieren Images]. Edgerton’s powerful role model as a mentor inspired Prof. Vandiver to create the Edgerton Center in 1992 to provide resources for MIT students to engage in hands-on personal passion projects. As a professor in mechanical engineering, Kim teaches vibration and dynamics with lots of hands-on experiences for the students. His research focuses on the dynamics of offshore structures and flow-induced vibration.

Professor Vandiver chaired MIT’s faculty from 1991 until 1993. In 1998 he was the recipient of the MIT President’s Award for Community Service for the Edgerton Center’s work with the Cambridge Public Schools. In 2001 he was honored as a MacVicar Fellow for excellence in teaching. In 2011 Kim was awarded the Arthur C. Smith Award for his contributions to undergraduate student life, and in 2012 the Gordon Y. Billard Award for special service of outstanding merit performed for the Institute.

Professor Vandiver received his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Harvey Mudd College, his master’s degree in ocean engineering from MIT, and a Ph.D. in oceanographic engineering from the MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. He is a Registered Mechanical Engineer in the state of Massachusetts and is a certified flight instructor for gliders.

Collapse
Jonathan M. Hunt

Jonathan M. Hunt

Associate Director & Maker IT Guru

Jonathan is the Associate Director and Maker IT Guru on MIT's Project Manus. He has 20 years of IT leadership experience and is in his happy place when making solar... Expand

Jonathan is the Associate Director and Maker IT Guru on MIT's Project Manus. He has 20 years of IT leadership experience and is in his happy place when making solar panel jewelry, circuits or anything with his kids. He earned his Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from MIT and is responsible for managing the IT components including Mobius app development and data collection. His favorite tools include small mills, laser cutters and 3D Printers.

Collapse
Oliver Thomas

Oliver Thomas

Maker Digital Systems Architect

As an architect (but not the cool kind) Oliver has spent the last quarter century at MIT, first as a student in EECS and later in various staff roles working... Expand

As an architect (but not the cool kind) Oliver has spent the last quarter century at MIT, first as a student in EECS and later in various staff roles working on technology projects in educational computing, administrative and learning systems, and enterprise architecture. Oliver joined Project Manus to follow his passion for making, and to help students more easily engage with maker and prototyping resources at the Institute along their journeys changing the world for the better.

Collapse
Seth Avecilla

Seth Avecilla

Maker Technical Specialist

Seth Avecilla specializes in delivering skills to students to shorten the path between their wildest ideas and reality. He is a Maker Technical Specialist for Project Manus. Having studied architecture... Expand

Seth Avecilla specializes in delivering skills to students to shorten the path between their wildest ideas and reality. He is a Maker Technical Specialist for Project Manus. Having studied architecture and sculpture, he built large scale mixed-media installations, both for artists and high-end wayfinding signage, before running the fabrication shop for MIT's Program in Art, Culture and Technology. People come to him for welded metal fabrication, precision or unusual casting and moldmaking, and electronics. Sometimes you will find Seth dancing as though to shake his soul loose.

Collapse
Jess Osserman

Jess Osserman

Maker Technical Specialist

Jess Osserman is a Maker Technical Specialist for Project Manus, focusing on running the MakerLodge Program and teaching Intro to Making. Her academic and professional making experience spans landscape architecture,... Expand

Jess Osserman is a Maker Technical Specialist for Project Manus, focusing on running the MakerLodge Program and teaching Intro to Making. Her academic and professional making experience spans landscape architecture, community-based design/build, industrial and furniture design and digital knitting. Trained both as a fine woodworker and a textile artist, she brings a deep understanding of craft and process to everything she makes. While her preference is to work slowly on something absurd for a really long time, she regularly finds herself teaching and using rapid prototyping tools in order to make useful things as quickly as possible.

Collapse
Lee Zamir

Lee Zamir

Maker Technical Specialist

Part of the Project Manus team, Lee is excited to bring his decades of experience and enthusiasm for making to the MIT community. Lee Zamir is an MIT graduate where he... Expand

Part of the Project Manus team, Lee is excited to bring his decades of experience and enthusiasm for making to the MIT community.

Lee Zamir is an MIT graduate where he received his BS and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. He worked at Bose Corporation from 1997 through 2019 and held various positions within the company that span engineering, research, sales, and marketing. Most recently, as the Director of Bose’s New Business Development Lab, Lee worked with entrepreneurs and innovators inside and external to the company to prototype new product concepts and incubate new growth businesses for Bose Corporation.

Lee also served as the driving force behind BOSEbuild, a new “build-it-yourself” category of products focused specifically on kids ages 8 and up. His goal with BOSEbuild was to enable and encourage kids to discover how their world works by offering products that combine hands-on learning and exploration with the result of their work being a great final product.

Lee joined the academic staff of Olin College of Engineering as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the and was the instructor for Iterate in Spring 2020.

He is an avid designer, maker and engineer and has his own custom furniture design studio LeeZamirDesign.com

Collapse
Conor McArdle

Conor McArdle

Video and Digital Content Specialist

Conor serves as the Video and Digital Content Specialist for Project Manus. He wears many hats, and is our in-house webmaster, filmmaker, photographer, graphic designer, audio editor, social media manager... Expand

Conor serves as the Video and Digital Content Specialist for Project Manus. He wears many hats, and is our in-house webmaster, filmmaker, photographer, graphic designer, audio editor, social media manager and more. Before his time at MIT, Conor worked in private high school education. He was a Digital Arts teacher at Vermont Academy and Assistant Director of Multimedia Strategy and Production at Peddie School. Conor uses his iMac and Adobe software for most of his making, but is excited to delve into the world of 3D printing.

Collapse
Chris Murphy

Chris Murphy

Sr. Business Systems Analyst

Acting as liaison between Project Manus and MIT’s Information Systems and Technology department, Chris brings both a love of making and a few decades of IT and MIT experience to... Expand

Acting as liaison between Project Manus and MIT’s Information Systems and Technology department, Chris brings both a love of making and a few decades of IT and MIT experience to the group. He’s interested in just about everything, but specific areas of interest are electronics, 3D printing, laser cutting, sewing/cosplay, and any new gadgets that appear in the shops.

Collapse
Katherine Gilbreath

Katherine Gilbreath

Administrative Assistant

Katherine Gilbreath is the Administrative Assistant for Project Manus, supporting the entire team to help things run smoothly. With a background working in small business, she is excited to transition... Expand

Katherine Gilbreath is the Administrative Assistant for Project Manus, supporting the entire team to help things run smoothly. With a background working in small business, she is excited to transition into the academic world as part of this dynamic and unique team. She has a lifelong passion for making, with professional and personal experience in painting, bookbinding, jewelry making, leather work, and baking. Additionally, she is packed with obscure facts ranging in topic from cryptids to art history, and would love to share them with you.

Collapse
request-more-info make-impact
Close

Sign Up

Get news, updates, and other important information

Not Now, Maybe Later

Share This Page