Broadening Participation Through Engagement in the Maker Space Movement

Abstract

Abstract Creating the Space The needs are endless when we encourage engineering creativity through applications. Inthe past few years, the creation of tech shops or maker spaces has been a boon to engineeringinnovation. In the past year, the authors have been managing the creation of such a space withina minority-serving land-grant institution. The advantages of low-resolution tryouts andprototyping being added to the engineering curriculum are abundantly discussed elsewhere. Inthis paper, we discuss the creation of a maker space and how we have used it as an adjunct to ourcollege's engineering and engineering technology curriculum. The issues of resources (humanand financial), assessment, and the proper role of the maker space have evolved over the sixmonths the space has been active. Planning such a space is a traditional activity. Visions of its use may, however, beoptimistic and pessimistic at the same time. How students use the space has surprised bothfaculty and college administration. Our goal has been to use the space as an organizing conceptfor a diverse array of activities ranging from high school robotics competitions to senior capstoneprojects. Subsequent to its introduction in February of this year, a study was conducted ofstudent awareness. This study informed us of the increased challenges in marketing the use ofthe space. We have evolved a mentorship program to support students working in the space.The past six months have seen overuse by classes, exciting design competitions, and a fewmisuses by students and faculty. As we look to begin our second year of operation, we canreport on some lessons learned, the roles of our corporate partners and the excitement ofwatching students develop ideas.