Picture this: A Cornell engineering student stands in the machine shop, focused, hands steady on a CNC mill. She’s shaping a part she’s designed from scratch, adjusting the machine’s settings, interpreting the sound and feel of the cut. In a few hours, this part will become the key component in a drone, an engine prototype, or maybe even a robotic arm. It’s hands-on, gritty, challenging work — the type that turns theory into reality. This is where real engineering begins, where you learn to turn an idea into something tangible.
At Cornell’s Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, we understand the importance of that hands-on experience. This year, we’re embarking on a transformation that will completely reimagine our machine shop into the Manufacturing Learning Studio, a state-of-the-art facility designed to give students experience with the very technologies they’ll use in industry. This vision takes the machine shop beyond fabrication and makes it a cornerstone of the Sibley School experience — a training ground for future engineers to master the skills that will set them apart.
Our alumni have given us loud and clear feedback: hands-on manufacturing experience isn’t just a “nice-to-have” — it’s a “must-have.” They tell us about the advantages they had when they started in the field, thanks to time spent in the machine shop, building and creating. An Sibley School alum now working at a major aerospace company shared how essential hands-on experience is for early career engineers, especially when learning how to troubleshoot real-world problems. Cornell engineers who’ve spent time in the shop graduate with an edge — they’re fearless and ready to dive in, adapt, and solve problems from day one.
The new Manufacturing Learning Studio will offer access to advanced manufacturing tools like CNC mills, metal 3D printers, injection molding, and plasma cutting equipment, giving students the skills to move seamlessly from computer models to physical parts, from an idea on paper to a tested, ready-to-use prototype.
David Hartino, director of instructional labs for the Sibley School, sees the need for this reimagined Manufacturing Learning Studio. “Like any other discipline, technology advances with time,” Hartino said. “While the core foundational concepts of manual machining are still valid, modern fabrication methods have placed new demands on our graduating students. We aim to serve our students by being able to prepare them for this modern world by providing current state of the art manufacturing technologies and instruction. Also, as our program grows in size, we need to provide a facility to serve the increased demand and varying applications of a wide variety of users so that our experience is truly available to all of our student body, not just a few specific applications.”
We’re making the studio more accessible than ever. In the past, the machine shop mainly served students on project teams or in specific courses. Now, we’re opening it up. New tracks in fabrication, additive manufacturing, and assembly operations will run throughout the academic year, integrated directly into coursework and open to students across the Sibley School. Every student will have a shot at hands-on learning, building a skill set that will serve them across their careers.
The Sibley School’s advisory council has been instrumental in this transformation, providing strategic direction and advocating for a new model of engineering education that prepares students for an increasingly complex manufacturing landscape. It’s an approach that emphasizes safety, accessibility, and technical diversity, aiming to ensure that every Cornell engineer graduates with not only theoretical knowledge but the practical expertise to execute on their ideas.
Creating this new studio comes with serious challenges. Our equipment hasn’t kept pace with the school’s growth, and operating costs are rising while budgets remain flat. To bring this vision to life, we’re working with the university and reaching out to alumni and industry partners. But we’re not stopping there. This is an all-hands-on-deck effort, and we’re actively seeking support from those who believe in the impact of hands-on learning as deeply as we do.
For students at Cornell, this new studio won’t just be a place to complete assignments. It will be a place to experiment, to make mistakes and learn from them, to build and rebuild until an idea takes shape. It’s here that our students will discover the unfiltered challenges and joys of engineering. They’ll face setbacks, redesign parts that don’t work, and experience the thrill of finally holding something in their hands that once only existed in their imagination. This is the kind of learning that no textbook or lecture can replicate.
“We are currently in a Renaissance with renewed interest, support and visibility in the area of product realization here in the Sibley School,” Hartino said. “The creation of the studio is far more than just equipment upgrades to a shop; it is a commitment to provide our students a unique experience. This is what makes Cornell stand above its peers and makes our graduates so sought after by industry and research in the real world.”
At the Sibley School, we’re creating a new kind of machine space for the future—one that inspires our students, sharpens their skills, and prepares them for the challenges of the real world. We’re building a place where our engineers will learn not just to think, but to do. And we can’t wait to see what they build next.