Behind the scenes of the Mountaintop Design Labs are manager Mike Moore, \u201812, and assistant manager Leila Ehtesham, who help students turn ideas into tangible projects while making the space feel approachable and accessible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moore said the Makerspace \u2014 which includes a woodshop, metal shop, laser cutters and 3D printing resources \u2014 serves students across all disciplines.\u00a0 On any given day, he said students from architectural, engineering, artistic and scientific backgrounds work side by side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day I\u2019m teaching architecture students how to build models, the next I\u2019m working with a physics professor,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moore said he oversees the lab\u2019s day-to-day operations, from maintaining equipment to managing a team of student workers and supporting classes by teaching students how to safely and effectively use the equipment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ehtesham said she works alongside Moore to support student learning through courses, certifications and independent projects, with a focus on hands-on learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said the lab accommodates a wide range of needs, whether students are completing class assignments, working on capstone projects or experimenting with new ideas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone can explain something to me several times, but until I actually do it myself, it doesn\u2019t click,\u201d Ehtesham said. \u201cI try to step back and let students do it while I guide them.<\/p>\n
While the machinery can be intimidating, Moore and Ehtesham said they use a structured approach to ease students into the process before they enter the shop. Through training videos and quizzes, students gain foundational knowledge before applying it in person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they come into the shop, (students are) already primed with questions and some understanding,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThen they can focus on what the tools actually do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite their different approaches, Moore and Ehtesham said they share the same goal: helping students build confidence to create.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a team, they aim to support students with different learning preferences.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the best moment is when you see things click,\u201d Ehtesham said. \u201c(Students) start to enjoy working with the materials and let go of that hesitation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moore said his interest in building began early, learning from his father\u2019s \u201cdo-it-yourself\u201d projects before studying mechanical engineering and architecture at Lehigh. After graduation, he said he was encouraged to apply for a position in the Makerspace and has worked there since 2013.<\/p>\n
Ehtesham\u2019s path was less linear. She graduated with a bachelor\u2019s degree in fine arts from The New School in New York City in 2014, then worked as a gardener before pursuing a master\u2019s degree in landscape architecture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During graduate school at University of Virginia, in 2021, she said she rediscovered her interest in fabrication and began working in a university shop called \u201cFab Lab\u201d near campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said she wasn\u2019t interested in pursuing a traditional landscape architecture firm unless it involved hands-on, design-build work, as she wanted to continue developing both her design and fabrication skills. She said she also felt ready to relocate and experience a new part of the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cI realized I liked working with my hands way more than sitting in front of a computer all day,\u201d Ehtesham said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moore said he helped construct a Chinese-style pavilion on the South Bethlehem Greenway as a part of a student project, while Ehtesham said she contributed to building furniture for the Clayton University Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moore\u2019s and Ehtesham\u2019s guidance has helped bring students\u2019 ideas to life, including those of Shenandoah DeNardo\u2019s, \u201828. She said she\u2019s worked on projects including a skateboard with interchangeable wheels, a bathroom container for toiletries, a heart-shaped box and picture frames for Christmas gifts.<\/p>\n
DeNardo said Moore and Ehtesham guided her through every step of the process.<\/p>\n
Alexander Hernandez, \u201829, said the Makerspace environment is welcoming and collaborative.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c(Moore and Ehtesham) are very open to helping us, even if we forget how to do something,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cThere\u2019s no judgment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through guidance, patience and hands-on learning, Moore and Ehtesham have built an environment which aims to empower students to experiment, make mistakes and ultimately create with confidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Behind the scenes of the Mountaintop Design Labs are manager Mike Moore, \u201812, and assistant manager Leila Ehtesham,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161434,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[48710,4784,153,155,154,9728],"class_list":{"0":"post-161433","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-3-min-read","9":"tag-administration","10":"tag-bethlehem","11":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","12":"tag-bethlehem-news","13":"tag-profile"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}