Explore
It all begins with an idea
Turning your ideas into reality
We believe in asking our students to think big—with no prior experience required. As part of our commitment to innovation, every interested MIT student can request between $1,000 and $25,000 from the Sandbox Innovation Fund Program to explore taking a project from idea to impact.
The program jump-starts student ideas, provides dedicated mentoring from within MIT and committed partners, and delivers personalized educational experiences. Sandbox also provides connections to the broader MIT entrepreneurial ecosystem including the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.
MAKE SOMETHING AWESOME
MIT has over 40 design/build/maker spaces on campus. In an effort to foster maker communities, we developed the MakerLodge program. MakerLodge is especially designed for all first-year students, including transfer students in their first year at MIT. You will be trained on introductory tech, including 3D printers, laser cutters, micro/nano making, and glass working—to name just a few!
There are three kinds of makerspaces—machine shops, project spaces, and community spaces. Machine shops specialize in training, mentoring, and making, and tend to focus on the creation of complex systems or fine-detailed components. Project makerspaces primarily support class projects, and community makerspaces foster unrestricted making via a community effort.
