Student Shop Managers Consortium
2026 CONFERENCE
JULY 7th-9th, 2026
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, Ca
Registration is OPEN!!
Click on the Registration link in the menu bar up top!
Update: Hotel blocks are available and Keynote Speaker booked! See Below
Conference Hotel Bookings are open!
Hotel Block discounts are at the two following hotels, Please consider these hotels first as we are contracted to fill the rooms reserved! Both hotels have a limited number of Thursday nights included in the block. If they are no longer available for Thursday, please call the hotel and add that night if you like. The price difference at Spring Hill is only $20
1st Choice! - Springhill Suites - San Luis Obispo - Shuttle Stop 1
The SpringHill Suites by Marriott San Luis Obispo is a new all-suite hotel offering spacious rooms with separate living areas, ideal for Central Coast exploration near downtown, Cal Poly, beaches, and wine country, featuring amenities like free hot breakfast, Wi-Fi, an outdoor pool, fitness center, restaurant/bar, and EV charging, providing a comfortable base for both business and leisure travelers.
2nd Choice! - La Quinta Inn - Shuttle Stop 2
The La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham San Luis Obispo Downtown is a modern, centrally located hotel offering free breakfast, WiFi, and parking, plus a rooftop pool, hot tub, and fitness center with great views. It features the on-site 1865 Craft House restaurant, is pet-friendly, and provides a central base for exploring downtown SLO, Cal Poly, wineries, and nearby beaches.
2026 Conference Presentation and Panel Topics
Keynote “Safety Isn’t Rules. It’s Culture” - Alexandra McNamara
Preventative Maintenance & Repair Tracking with Limble - Dennis Tapella, Washington University, St Louis
Large Student Cohort Training & Workflow Across 4 Years of Instruction - David Kempken, Cal Poly, SLO and Panel TBD
Using Airtable as a Shop Management System - Amy K. Dern, Rice University, Houston
Safety, Risk Management & EHS Presentation - EHS Chair, Joe Udelhofen, Carlton College and Cal Poly EHS Crew
Training the Trainers - Cal Poly Shop Techs Presentation and Panel
Lunch & Learn Report - SSMC L&L Team
Student Machining Lab Safety Training - Trian Georgeou, Cal Poly SLO
Neurodivergence in a Shop Environment - SSMC Technical Committee
Poster Presentaions - SSMC Members
And Much Much More!
Keynote Speaker Alexandra McNamara- “Safety isn’t Rules. It’s Culture”
Keynote Blurb: "Shop safety is often approached through policies, procedures, and enforcement, but lasting safety is built through culture, not rules.
In this keynote, Alex McNamara examines the gap between written safety standards and real-world behavior in shops and on site. Through stories from high-pressure build environments and educational settings, she highlights how communication, training, and psychological safety directly influence physical safety outcomes.
Attendees will gain practical insights into fostering environments where safety is understood, adopted, and sustained - not just enforced.
About Alex:Alex McNamara is a technical director, rigging expert, and welder whose career spans from Broadway stages to massive music festivals in the Saudi desert. Based in Nashville, she recently managed over 35 sponsor builds at Governors Ball and led VIP site builds for Soundstorm, one of the world’s largest electronic festivals.
Alex holds an MFA from Yale in Technical Design & Production and is ETCP certified with additional credentials in welding, fall protection, and site safety. She's also the author of a groundbreaking thesis on gender inequities in workwear, which combines industry interviews, historical research, and a survey of over 700 tradespeople.
On social media, Alex is the voice behind Built Pretty, an educational platform dedicated to tool literacy, construction history, and empowering underrepresented workers in the trades. Her viral videos on screwdrivers, hammers, and “how not to use a drywall screw” have earned her a devoted following across TikTok and Instagram, where she’s known for her witty, deeply knowledgeable takes on tools, tool history and job site culture.
SSMC 2026 Conference Schedule
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | July 6–9, 2026
Monday – July 6
Arrival & Welcome
5:00 – 7:00 PM
Welcome Mixer
7:00 – 9:00 PM
Board Dinner
Tuesday – July 7
Safety & Professional Practice
7:30 – 9:00 AM
Breakfast & Registration
9:00 – 9:45 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:45 – 10:15 AM
Shop Ventilation & Respiratory Protection
Mitigating respiratory risk in shop and makerspace environments
10:15 – 10:45 AM
Risk & Safety Solutions in Academic Environments
10:45 – 11:00 AM
Break & Industry Networking
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Safety Training in Machining Lab Environments
11:30 – 11:45 AM
Lightning Poster Introductions
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
Lunch, Posters & Industry Networking
12:45 – 2:00 PM
Keynote: Safety Isn’t Rules, It’s Culture
Alex McNamara
2:10 PM
Depart for Hearst Castle
3:00 – 5:00 PM
Hearst Castle Tour
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Santa Maria BBQ Banquet
Wednesday – July 8
Training, People & Practice
7:30 – 9:00 AM
Breakfast & Registration
9:00 – 9:45 AM
Training the Trainers
Cal Poly Student Shop Techs Panel
9:45 – 10:30 AM
Neurodivergence in Shop Environments
10:30 – 10:45 AM
Break & Industry Networking
10:45 – 11:05 AM
Board Candidate Introductions & Voting Opens
11:05 – 11:45 AM
Training at Scale: Managing Large Cohorts
11:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Industry Spotlight (Primary Sponsor)
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Lunch, Posters & Industry Networking
1:00 – 1:30 PM
Facility Tours: Orientation & Group Departures
1:30 – 4:30 PM
Facility Tours
4:30 – 5:00 PM
Tour Return & Informal Networking
Thursday – July 9
Systems, Strategy & the Future
7:30 – 9:00 AM
Breakfast & Registration
9:00 – 9:30 AM
Preventative Maintenance & Repair Tracking with Limble
9:30 – 10:00 AM
Using Airtable for Shop Management
10:00 – 10:30 AM
Tools in Practice: Industry Solutions for Academic Shops
10:30 – 10:45 AM
Break & Industry Networking
10:45 – 11:05 AM
New Board Member Announcements
11:05 – 11:20 AM
SSMC Website Launch
11:20 – 11:50 AM
Making Makerspace Value Visible: Journey Mapping as an Advocacy Tool
11:50 AM – 12:00 PM
Lunch & Learn Committee Update
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 – 1:45 PM
Facilitated Roundtable Discussions
1:45 – 2:30 PM
Closing Discussion: The Future of Academic Shops & SSMC
Travel & Transportation
First: Where the heck is San Luis Obispo, California????
Cal Poly is located in the heart of California's Central Coast, exactly centered between Los Angeles and The San Francisco bay Area. 3 hours north or south to get to either one.
How to get here:
Fly into San Luis Obispo Airport (SBP) - best but most expensive option. Beautiful small airport but has connections to San Francisco, San Jose, LA, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, Denver, etc
Fly into Santa Barbara (90 minute drive) or Santa Maria (45 minute drive) Both are fairly close but fewer connection options.
Fly into LAX (3 hours), San Jose (3 hours) or San Francisco (4 hours) - One benefit of these options is that there will be MANY more car rental options and the drive from LA is actually gorgeous as most of it is travelling along the Pacific Ocean. From the Bay area, not so much.
Transportation once you are here:
Car rental is prevalent, but not like a big city. We have plenty of Uber and Lyft drivers in town.
There will be shuttle bus service to and from Cal Poly to the recommended hotels mornings and evenings.
There will be ample parking at Cal Poly for an additional Fee of $11 a day if you want to drive yourself.