Holistic Student Success: Florida Tech Student Wellness

College life can be overwhelming, and we know it! That’s why Evans Library is more than just a place to study or cram for finals; we intentionally design our spaces, services, and events to help students relax, unwind, and replenish their energy. While college often brings stress, it also offers a chance to learn how to manage it in positive, healthy ways. At Evans Library, we’re here to support students not only in their academic journey but in building a fulfilling, balanced life.  

So, how do we help students manage stress? Across our four floors of study rooms and collaborative spaces, you’ll also find areas designed to encourage meaningful breaks. Our entire fourth floor is dedicated to silence, not just for focused study, but for true mental rest. The Silent Floor features a peaceful Relaxation Room complete with zero-gravity chairs, bean bags, and cozy sofas where students can unplug and reset. The floor’s sweeping views of blue Florida skies and lush greenery of Florida Tech’s Botanical Gardens provide small but powerful moments of tranquility. 

The CraftLab Origin Story: A Vision to Support Student Creativity

The CraftLab began as a response to a need that Kristin Heifner, User Experience Librarian, had sensed for years. Even before the pandemic, students gravitated toward creative stress‑relief activities the library offered during 24/7 Finals Weeks —coloring sheets, lavender eye masks, sand bottles, watercolor postcards, and yarn kits. Students also frequently asked for basics like scissors, glue, markers, and hot glue guns at the iDesk, whether for school assignments, personal projects, or something as simple as making a Valentine’s Day card.  

The seeds of the CraftLab were planted in Fall 2020, during the strange, quiet semester after COVID‑19 closures. The library had some equipment on hand already, including a large‑scale vinyl cutter donated by COES professor James Brenner, Ph.D., through a KEEN grant. The equipment needed to be available to students, but no one had yet decided where or how. Kristin saw the opportunity. 

In Spring 2021, she began running sublimation workshops in a small administrative office, and the response was immediate - students were spilling out of the room and into the surrounding library spaces. By Fall 2021, the space finally had a name: the CraftLab and its official rollout during orientation week in August featured customized keychains, which helped spread the word quickly. 

Peek into the Library’s CraftLab: Where Creativity Builds Community

Tucked inside the library, the CraftLab has quietly grown into one of the most beloved spaces on campus—a place where students come not only to create, but to relax. Between engineering equations, programming assignments, and physics problem sets, it offers something rare: time, materials, and a welcoming community where creativity isn’t just encouraged—it’s shared.

Located on the first floor of the Library, the CraftLab is a compact but ever‑expanding hub packed with tools and supplies for every kind of maker. Students can dive into projects using a vinyl cutter, sewing machines, heat presses, button makers, a sublimation printer, and a simple laminator. With plenty of craft materials available, the space offers everything needed to design, experiment, and bring creative ideas to life. Students also have access to a laser engraver and 3D printers in the Library’s DSL upstairs.

For Natalie Johnson, a second‑year Mechanical Engineering student, who is working in the CraftLab as a Federal Work Study for the second year, the connection was immediate. “I saw the heat press through the window,” she said with a laugh. “That was my first reason for coming in. I’ve always loved heat‑transfer vinyl, and after interviewing to work here, I wanted the job even more.”

Preserving Space History at Florida Tech

This fall, Florida Tech alumnus Leland McKee (’83, MBA ’86) generously offered rare space history artifacts from his personal collection for display at the university. After connecting with President Dr. Nicklow’s office, McKee partnered with the Dean of Libraries to create an archival exhibit that aligns with the Library’s mission to showcase historically significant materials. The agreement ensures these items will be on display for at least five years, with options to renew—giving multiple graduating classes the opportunity to experience this piece of Space Coast history.

About the Astronauts Memorial Foundation

Founded in 1986 after the Challenger disaster, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF) was established by local leaders including architect Alan Helman, Congressman and astronaut Bill Nelson, and Florida Tech alumnus Leland McKee and others. AMF honors astronauts who lost their lives during U.S.-sponsored human spaceflight missions or related training and inspires future generations through education. The foundation maintains the Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy Space Center, where 25 astronauts are commemorated, and operates from the NASA Center for Space Education to provide learning opportunities for students and educators worldwide.

Funding Through Specialty License Plates AMF and the Space Mirror Memorial are partially funded by Florida’s specialty license plate program. The first plate—designed by renowned space artist Robert McCall—was introduced in December 1986 as Florida’s first vanity plate and became known as the Challenger plate in 1987. This initiative raised millions for educational programs across the state. Following the Columbia disaster in 2003, the plate was updated to honor the crews of both lost shuttles, and, in 2004, was renamed the Challenger/Columbia plate.

Robert McCall, celebrated as NASA’s visual historian, documented America’s space program for more than 35 years—from Alan Shepard’s first flight to Neil Armstrong’s steps on the Moon. His work includes the six-story mural at the National Air and Space Museum, U.S. postage stamps commemorating space milestones, and conceptual art for films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek, and The Black Hole. McCall also designed Florida’s first specialty license plate, helping fund AMF’s mission.

Two-Sentence Horror Story Contest Winners

To get into the spirit of spooky season, the Evans Library held a two-sentence horror story contest. We had almost 40 blood-curdling entries, and it was a gory task to judge the best entries. Below are the top three gruesome winners, and the haunted honorable mentions are below the eerie image.

First Place – Jorge Granados-Hernandez
I only wanted to feel her heartbeat. I didn’t expect the hospital to let me in, disguised with scrubs, into the operating room.

Second Place— Lorelai (Aero) Draney
I was told to write down everything I remember, something about helping me stay grounded. But so many of these pages are in someone else's handwriting.

Third Place—Andre Colina
As I unlock the door to my new residence I find myself deep in thought. I hope these people give in faster than the last few did.

Tracing Florida Journeys

Evans Library is delighted to partner with the Community Foundation for Brevard for the third consecutive year. This year’s featured speaker is Dr. Leslie Kemp Poole, an associate professor of environmental studies at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.  

Tracing Florida Journeys, part of the Florida Humanities’ Florida Talks series, features highlights from Dr. Leslie Poole’s extensive research on notable explorers and voyagers who traveled through Florida and documented their experiences. Spanning the colonial era to the twentieth century, Poole traces their paths and words to reveal how these landscapes have transformed over time, offering a compelling narrative of Florida’s natural history and the evolving human perceptions of it. Through this talk, Dr. Poole hopes to enlighten and inspire audiences to appreciate the state’s environmental and cultural legacies.