March 8, 2019 AIAS to Host Regional Maker Conference in April
The college’s American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) chapter will host the AIAS South Quad Conference April 4-7, 2019.
Themed “Maker Squad,” the conference will highlight the university and Knoxville’s maker culture. More than 300 students, representing 50 schools across 11 states and territories, are expected to be in attendance to meet peers from across the region, attend workshops, tour firms and facilities and learn from local makers from around Knoxville.
“Like a lot of architecture students, I grew up drawing, making crafts and building things,” explains Kari Essary, President of UT’s AIAS chapter. “The theme of this conference, ‘Maker Squad,’ allows us to return to and celebrate the physical process of making that made so many of us fall in love with architecture in the first place.”
Hands-on workshops and panels will examine a variety of crafts, including film, metal working, virtual reality and building-information management, glass-fiber-reinforced concrete, ceramics, materials sourcing and sustainability and more. Student makers from all trades, from engineering to studio art to architecture, are welcome to attend and may register here.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear from keynote speakers Jack Neely, who will discuss Knoxville’s transition to becoming a Maker City, and Brandon Pace from Sanders Pace Architecture, who will discuss the firm’s work during Knoxville’s changing culture. Tour locations include Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Norris Dam.
“As a native Texan, I was blown away with the maker culture I found here in Knoxville while searching for my home sweet home for undergrad,” explained Jonathan Winfiele, Conference Chair. “Here on Rocky Top, we are deeply rooted in this culture, and we challenge ourselves every day to make the impossible happen. I’m looking forward to showing all of our maker friends our city in April.”
The South Quad Conference is hosted annually by an AIAS chapter within the southeastern region. UT was selected by the chapters of the southeast to host the spring 2019 conference.
To learn more, visit the Maker Squad conference website, follow @maker_squad on Instagram or use the #aiasmaker on social media.
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