Make48 Season 10 Spotlight: GoCreate, A Koch Collaborative

We are beyond excited to announce that Make48 is officially kicking off Season 10! And what better place to start than the exact spot where our City competitions first began? We’re heading back to GoCreate, A Koch Collaborative on the Wichita State University Innovation Campus.

Our team has so much history here. We hosted our very first City Regional event at GoCreate back in 2021, returned for another regional competition in 2022, and even hosted our Season 5 Nationals at this amazing spot. It's also where we met David Marshall, a beloved friend and co-worker who joined the Make48 team and worked with us until his retirement. We’ve made so many wonderful memories at GoCreate, and we can't wait to make more with our new Classroom Experience competition. 

“GoCreate was built to turn ideas into impact, and there’s no better place to launch Season 10 of Make48,” said Kim McCollum, GoCreate Assistant Director. Watching innovators step into this space and bring bold concepts to life is exactly why we do what we do. We can’t wait to see what this new generation of inventors brings to Make48 — and we’re ready to equip them with the tools, expertise, and environment to turn bold ideas into reality.”

Make It Happen At GoCreate

GoCreate is the perfect backdrop for a Make48 event. It is 18,000 square feet of pure creativity! Whether you are a beginner or a total pro, this place has everything you need to bring your wildest ideas to life.

GoCreate is the perfect backdrop for a Make48 event. It is 18,000 square feet of pure creativity! Whether you are a beginner or a total pro, this place has everything you need to bring your wildest ideas to life.

The competing teams will get to use over a million dollars worth of amazing tools, not to mention all the extra gear Make48 brings along. Some of the cool stations you'll find there include:

• Wood Studio for building heavy-duty projects and has the kind of cutting and carving tools that you cannot easily pick up at the corner hardware store. Tools include a; Miter saw, planer, scroll saw, and a Frogmill foam-carving machine that can create full 3D carvings — up to 4 feet in diameter and 8 feet in length — from a single piece of material.

• Metals Studio Whether you're making a mold, die-cutting or joining pieces together, the metals and welding studio is fully equipped with a waterjet, 65 ton ironworker, lathes, hydraulic press, etc. 

• 3D Printing Studio features 6 Makerbot Replicator+ Printers, 2 Compact Replicator Mini+ Printers, and 2 Makerbot Replicator Z18 Large Scale Printers. 

• Design Studio features a variety of machines and softwares to help bring ideas to life. This studio holds a Mutoh vinyl printer, Canon photo printer, Epilog laser engraver, Boss Laser engraver as well as a number of our MakerBot 3D printers.

• Textile Stations for working with fabrics and soft materials such as a garment maker, embroidery machine, cutting/layout and press areas and cnc quilting machine.

• Electronics Studio for circuits, soldering stations and specialty tools. 

GoCreate has hosted Make48 three times since 2021

More than just tools, GoCreate offers a community of friendly, like-minded people ready to share expert advice and help you learn. It’s open to anyone of any age or background who has an idea they want to see take flight. Thanks to an incredible $3.75 million gift from Koch Industries and the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation, people can actually get help paying for memberships and training. This generous gift makes the space a central part of the WSU Innovation Campus – helping to drive education, culture, and business for the people of Kansas.

A world-class space needs world-class leaders to keep it running smoothly. GoCreate is led by two amazing people. Kim McCollum, Assistant Director, is a marketing pro and a total rockstar when it comes to growing the GoCreate community. She loves reaching out to people in the Wichita area and motivating them to find their creative spark.

Ken Wiseman, Operations and Facility Manager, is the guy who takes care of the millions of dollars worth of equipment and software. He makes sure all the tools are in top shape and that the staff and mentors are completely ready to help members succeed.

We are so pumped to head back to where it all started. Wichita, here we come!