You can make it! The Creative Technologist Reimagining Manufacturing

Steph Piper

At the University of Southern Queensland’s Library Makerspace, Steph Piper is redefining what manufacturing looks like in the 21st century, merging creativity with technology to inspire the next generation of makers.

“I usually describe myself as a creative technologist,” Steph explains.

“Through my day job here at the University of Southern Queensland Library Makerspace, we use quite a lot of technology. You can do some very practical things with it, but you can also get quite creative as well.”

Discovering the Joy of Making

With about 10 years in manufacturing, including 8 years in her current role, Steph’s journey began with a fascination for creating things with her own hands.

“I think I’ve always been interested in the idea of hands-on making and making things from scratch,” she says. Her defining moment came during university: “When I first got my 3D printer working, I called around to all my buddies and said, ‘Get around here, it’s happening, it’s working.’ And it was just this moment where we were all sitting there, watching it print for two hours, just mesmerised.”

Before her current role, Steph was involved in cutting-edge research. “Before then I was doing research in medical 3D printing. My project that I worked on was 3D printing breast implants.”

Manufacturing as Prototyping and Innovation

For Steph, manufacturing isn’t just about mass production but about bringing ideas to life.

“Manufacturing to me is like we very much heavily focus on the prototyping phase where students and staff can come in and make things with the 3D printers, with the electronics bench that really are the first iteration of something that you might see as a real-life product.”

Her workspace allows for close collaboration with creators. “It’s a pretty small little space but I really love the way that I can work with people a bit more closely and more deeply, understand the projects that they’re doing and help them a bit more one-on-one.”

Challenges and Triumphs

One of Steph’s most exciting projects was creating the “party button” for the Curiosity festival. “It was a very challenging build for something that’s kind of very simple in execution. They sponsored me to build two of those.”

She’s now proud of a book she’s created to help people track their making skills. “I really want to take this book concept further… I’ve had a lot of teachers request a kids’ version of the book.”

The unpredictability of new projects presents her biggest challenge.

“The unexpected kind of things that you just don’t know. Like whenever you do a new project, there’s always an element where you might find out something that is going to make the project impossible or too expensive.”

Being a Woman in Tech Manufacturing

Steph recognises both advantages and challenges of being a woman in her field. “The huge pro is that you have that variety of thinking that a lot of people will not have. You’ll be able to bring new ideas to the table, new ways of problem-solving that people may not have considered.”

However, barriers exist: “There are a lot of folks who are resistant to change, and you look different. So, they may spring a lot of things on you, and prefer to keep the technology a secret, and keep things to themselves.”

Looking to the Future

Steph has ambitious plans for her book project: “I’d love to do a version that has flexible binding so that you could get a stock book, but you could swap out the skills you don’t want and you can swap in the skills that you do want.”

She even envisions a digital version: “Once that’s big enough, I’d love to explore doing a web app version with a company… where you could actually sign up. It would map all your skills for you and show you that dashboard of skills.”

Advice for Aspiring Makers

Steph encourages others to follow their passions: “You’ve got to go wherever your passions are. That’s really what has pulled me through. As long as you’re working on something that is powerfully interesting and exciting to you, that’s where you need to be.”

Through her work, Steph is breaking down barriers between art and technology, showing that manufacturing can be as much about creativity as production.