The Tinker Program

The Tinker program is for current, full-time, degree seeking Northwestern students who are working on an innovation project. The Tinker program welcomes all ideas: hardware, software, for-profit and nonprofit, arts, music, and more. Most Tinkerers are in the ideation phase and are working towards Residency. The Tinker program sign up form is open during the academic year, with students welcomed on an ongoing basis. Students will maintain Tinker status for the remainder of the academic year once they join. Students who wish to stay in The Tinker Program must sign up each academic year.

Tinkerers get access to The Garage during staffed hours and are encouraged to work from The Cafe or an empty classroom. Tinkerers will get an invitation to at least two Family Dinners and two Tinkerer-only meet ups per quarter, an invitation to pitch at The Garage’s quarterly Startup Matchmaking event, access to The Makerspace during staffed hours, opportunities to attend ‘Make with Jake’ sessions in the Makerspace, a weekly newsletter, and priority for Office Hours and events hosted at The Garage. Tinkerers do not get a dedicated desk.