NEWSROOM

Staff Profile: Hayden Moore, Unleash Space Maker Space Coordinator

12 May 2021

The Unleash Space Maker Space is a place for students and staff of all faculties at the University of Auckland to create what they imagine, design for today, and prototype for tomorrow. It contains a range of exciting technologies and equipment including 3D printers, a laser cutter, CNC router, vinyl cutter and more – all free for students and staff to use. Helping creators make the most of the maker space is Unleash Space Maker Space Coordinator Hayden Moore.

Tell us a little about your background and how you ended up at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

I’ve always loved making things – working with paper, cardboard, and hot glue as a child, wood and metal as a teenager, and picking up new skills over time like welding and using a table saw. I also did a lot of programming and making games which cascaded into learning things like vector art and 3D modeling. While studying computer science at the University of Auckland, I learned how Arduinos and electronics can allow my code to interact with the physical world, which I absolutely loved! 

In 2017, I joined the Unleash Space team as one of the first Creative Technologists (CT) and played a part in setting up the maker space. After graduating, I spent a couple of years working as a product development engineer, but CIE couldn’t keep me away and I came back in 2020 as the Maker Space Coordinator.

What drew you to this role at the CIE?

The Maker Space Coordinator role has a lot of similarities to the CT role I had as a student, so I knew it would be perfect for me! The maker space is full of people who share my passion for creating. I love learning their tips and tricks and using my own expertise to assist them in making whatever they imagine. 

What does being the Maker Space Coordinator involve?

You’ll primarily find me in the maker space assisting students and staff. I have skills and expertise in a range of areas so can provide direction and resources for many different types of projects. I also run equipment training sessions, keep material supplies topped up, help organise workshops, make processes more efficient, and lead the team of student CTs who help run the space. 

Tell us a bit about the support, opportunities and experiences that the maker space offers students and staff.

The maker space is available to students and staff of all faculties at the University of Auckland. Anyone can become a member, and you definitely don’t need any prior experience creating things. We have plenty of resources and workshops to get your creative curiosity flowing and teach you how to use the equipment (they’re not as scary as they seem!) Your project could be something small or the beginnings of an innovative start-up – it’s completely up to you. The maker space is for anyone who wishes to use technology to bring their ideas to life.

What is your favourite part of your job?

I love seeing all the amazing things being worked on in the maker space and getting to know the people and stories behind them. There’s always something exciting going on and talking to others gives me so much inspiration for my own never ending list of projects!

What advice would you give people interested in creating and making?

The best way to get into making things is to just start! It’s easy to see all of the amazing things being created by others and get discouraged. I’ve been in that situation. What I did to learn and build my skills was to copy existing projects from YouTube, Reddit, Instructables, and social media, and try to put my own spin on them whether that’s by using different materials or crafting the item in a slightly different way. You won’t always have access to the same equipment as online inspiration but if you get creative with what you have on hand, you’ll be surprised with what you can pull off. I found myself customising my projects more and as I built up my skill set, until I was eventually creating things entirely of my own design.

When you’re not working, what would we find you doing?

Projects and collecting hobbies! I love trying new things and making all kinds of interesting objects using electronics, programming, 3D printing, metalwork, woodwork and CAD. I’ve built things like an interactive light up periodic table for my element collection, a tesla coil, Marx generator, tentacle table, automatic wire cutter, infinity dodecahedron, and custom plant pots. Right now I’m working on projects like a laser guitar (guitar with lasers for strings), honeycomb themed mechanical keyboard, and a contextually aware AI wall light. 

What is the most unusual place you’ve ever been?

38°00’00.0″S 176°00’00.0″E in Waikato. It’s one of the points in New Zealand where we have intersecting latitude and longitude lines. It was incredibly satisfying seeing the GPS almost completely zero out!

What are you most looking forward to in 2021?

I’m currently working on an early stage start-up called Island 12 that makes AI powered contextually aware lighting for applications in storytelling, audiobooks, gaming and music. I’m really looking forward to progressing with the product development, bringing an idea from concept to reality to production, and using my learnings from this experience to help other members of the maker space community.