The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is commemorating Maker Month in March with several on-campus activities to ignite and inspire creativity, including a keynote address by Matt Verlinich, a senior program manager with Innovation Works.

Verlinich’s talk, “Engineer to Entrepreneur: How Making led my Career Journey,” will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in the makerspace in the George B. Duke Engineering and Information Technologies Building. The discussion is free and open to the public.

Verlinich who served as a consultant and provided guidance to Pitt-Bradford officials when they were developing the makerspace in the Duke Building, manages Innovation Works Manufacturing initiatives, runs an ecommerce business, and has a passion for inspiring and helping entrepreneurs build their dreams.

“We’re very excited to have Matt come back to campus to speak,” said Dr. Matt Kropf, associate professor of engineering technology and director of the engineering technology and energy programs.

“I expect those who hear Matt share his journey in the world of making will gain insights and be inspired,” Kropf said, adding that Verlinich has been highly involved in the maker movement, including setting up one of the first public makerspaces and starting his own company.  

Verlinich is a scientist by nature, an engineer by training, and an entrepreneur by choice. During his career, he has taught and served as a research assistant at Penn State, was a mechanical engineer in the nuclear industry, opened and ran a makerspace, and invented his own product.

He holds a master’s degree in engineering science and a bachelor’s degree in engineering science and mechanics, both from Penn State.

The makerspace at Pitt-Bradford is just one of many unique spaces in the Duke Building. Since the building opened in January 2023, many students have worked on a variety of projects in the makerspace using many of the tools there, including 3D printers, a laser engraver and circuit board printer, sewing machines, a T-shirt press, and a vacuum former.