Meet the Makerspace Team

The CQUniversity Bundaberg Makerspace is driven by a passionate team of educators, researchers, and students who are committed to fostering creativity, innovation, and digital literacy within the community.

The team designs and delivers hands-on workshops that blend technology, education, and research, encouraging participants to experiment, collaborate, and develop new skills. With expertise spanning education, psychology, and pedagogy, the team works together to create engaging, research-informed learning experiences and to build a sustainable space that empowers learners of all ages to bring their ideas to life.

Dr. Michelle Vanderburg

Heatshot of Dr Michelle Vanderburg wearing a white shirt and tan coloured jacket smiling at the camera

Dr. Michelle Vanderburg is an academic at CQUniversity and manages the CQUniversity Bundaberg Makerspace. She has been awarded several government grants to establish the makerspace and keep it sustainable. Michelle heads a team responsible for organising and coordinating the makerspace workshops. Her extensive background in teaching literacy across the disciplines provides her with the knowledge to integrate digital literacy goals in the workshops. Additionally, she leads the team in conducting research to examine the impact of these workshops and assists with the qualitative methods.

Dr. Robert Vanderburg 

Headshot of Dr Robert Vanderburg wearing a blue buttoned up shirt, smiling at the camera

Dr. Robert Vanderburg is an academic at CQUniversity. With his background in Educational Psychology, he assists with the development of pedagogy-focused workshops and grant writing. With his extensive experience conducting quantitative research, Robert also assists with quantitative data collection and analysis.

Michelle Gossner

Heatshot of Michelle Gossner in black blazer smiling at the camera

Michelle Gossner is a PhD candidate at CQUniversity. With a background in education and psychology, she has a keen interest in child and adolescent development. Her research focuses on understanding and addressing the diverse factors that influence the wellbeing and educational outcomes of young people. In the Makerspace, she takes on a variety of roles, including organising and facilitating workshops that promote experiential learning, collaboration, and innovation, as well as developing new programs to enhance creative and technical skills. 

Brandy Bayntun

Brandy Bayntun with a white bucket hat, smiling at the camera with her hand resting on the side of her face.

Brandy Bayntun is a dedicated pre-service High School teacher at CQUniversity Bundaberg, specialising in Home Economics and English. With a strong passion for education in rural and regional communities, she brings a unique sense of enthusiasm to the team. Starting as a volunteer in the Makerspace, she has transitioned into a vital Lab Technician role. Her responsibilities include the organisation and charging of technology, ensuring all equipment is up-to-date and workshop ready, developing new program content, and providing assistance during workshops. With her dedication to teaching, Brandy brings a commitment of fostering digital literacy for workshop attendees.