Ian Smith is building his own prosthetic arm with the help of the new Made @ Westmoreland makerspace.

“It would be kind of cool to say, ‘Hey, I made my hand,” Ian said, recalling discussions with his dad. “So then I said, ‘What can I do to do that?’ ”

An aspiring biomechanical engineer and senior at Greensburg-Salem High School, Ian’s left arm ends just below the elbow. Ian also loves theater and wanted to have a hand to use on stage for a show a couple of years ago. Back then, he and his father had 3D-printed a low-tech hand at home, but the show had already passed and the hand didn’t move well. Ian wanted to do more.

His father got him in touch with Michael Rottman, who used to direct a makerspace in Johnstown and now heads the new lab at Westmoreland County Community College. On Thur

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