Ferris State's College Of Pharmacy And College Of Engineering Tech Collaborate To Fulfill Lab Equipment Needs, Help Solve Practical Problems

Ferris State University is embodying campus collaboration as the College of Pharmacy and the College of Engineering Technology found a solution to laboratory equipment needs.

Dr. Milan Prajapati, assistant professor of Pharmacy, noted that he was in the process of establishing a new research lab from scratch this year but came across the need for additional test tube holders.

The typical solution would have been to buy additional holders through an outside manufacturer. However, Prajapati is operating with a limited startup budget for the new lab, which led him to discovering similar 3D-printable holders that could be made at a reasonable price.

All Prajapati needed was access to a 3D printer facility. Fortunately for him and the College of Pharmacy, one already existed just a few buildings over.

“I reached out to our college’s librarian, who connected me with Luke Hedman (of Engineering Tech) in the SWAN building. Luke then introduced me to the Makerspace, where we were able to print the tube holders and are now using them in the lab,” Prajapati said.

Prajapati was grateful to have access to the Makerspace, as the collaboration provided a quick, low-cost solution while opening his eyes to an “excellent campus resource” he didn’t know existed.

However, it’s far from the first time that the Makerspace has been available for those not in the CET program.

“This kind of project is fairly common for the makerspace, actually. The makerspace is a resource for the entire campus community by providing equipment and training for anyone who wants to make things,” said Hedman, program coordinator for CET. “In this case, the solution already existed, Dr. Prajapati just needed the ability to build it.

“Individuals or departments within the university often approach us with a problem that needs to be solved. In some cases, the solution does not always exist, and we need to design and engineer something entirely new. Either way, the makerspace enables problem solving like nowhere else on campus,” Hedman added.

The moment was a demonstration on how Ferris State promotes its colleges coming together to solve practical problems while elevating its expertise.

“Every dollar saved on routine laboratory supplies can be redirected toward items that have a greater impact on research and student training. Beyond research, I also see opportunities to incorporate the Makerspace into pharmacology education,” Prajapati said. “The Makerspace opens the door to creating customized teaching tools that are tailored to our curriculum at a fraction of the cost of purchasing commercial models.”

Although the process of piecing together a new lab is an “evolving process” without a set completion point, Prajapati is hopeful that the core infrastructure is in place by this upcoming fall or spring semester.

“The Makerspace is an excellent example of how expertise and resources from one college can benefit another. … More broadly, interdisciplinary collaborations across Ferris can create innovative solutions while providing valuable learning experiences for students from multiple disciplines,” he said.