Space to Create

At Dominican, there are so many state-of-the-art spaces designed to connect your academic goals and creative interests.

The WeatherTech Innovation Lab (WIL), made possible through a generous donation from David MacNeil, founder and CEO of Bolingbrook-based WeatherTech, is one of the latest spaces that allows you to experiment with new ideas using a variety of technology. Here are just a few ways students are advancing their skills in the WIL: 

Student Pablo Cesar Bedolla Ortiz and his team used one of the WIL’s 3D printers this semester to print prototypes of a plastic lithium battery container for a device they are building that will be capable of collecting data from the surface of the moon. The project is funded through NASA’s Minority University Research Program (MUREP) Innovative New Designs for Space, also known as NASA MINDS. It encourages students to think about scientific projects that could potentially be used in the Artemis moon exploration program.

Brisa Ruiz ’23 used the WIL’s podcasting technology when she created a series of Spanish and English-language podcasts for her Mazzuchelli Honors Program practicum during her senior year. She conducted a series of interviews with students, exploring topics important to the Latine community on campus, like identity, immigration and the experience of being first-generation college students. 

Fashion design major Azulo Cazares and first-year student Jorge Aguilar used the green screen available in the Recording Studio as a way to showcase garments from Cazares’ senior collection, which was displayed during the university’s annual fashion show.