Salinas >> If they build it, the students will come.
Or at least that’s the plan for Hartnell College when it unveils its new Makerspace with a grand opening ceremony and public demonstration on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
The guests will have a chance to meet with faculty and staff, play with a large model airplane and view demonstrations made by students.
Hartnell College received a $250,000 CCC Maker Implementation Grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Claudia Maciel-Contreras, Makerspace and aerospace education lab manager at Hartnell, said they used the money to buy cutting edge equipment like 3-D printers, laser cutters and engravers, 3-D scanners, CNC routers, remote control drones and robotics.
The grant will also provide internships, provide skills training and connect students to industry partners. There will a minimum of 13 student internships, with hopes of adding 12 more, and will pay anywhere from $10.50 up to $20 an hour depending on the job and experience.
“We’re hoping to get them thinking about different opportunities here in the local area,” Maciel-Contreras said.
Maciel-Contreras said the students should benefit tremendously from the new Makerspace because some of them have come up to her saying there’s nowhere in Salinas that provides a workspace for “nerds.”
“They’ve been meeting at people’s homes,” Maciel-Contreras said. “But now that the Makerspace is going to open, they feel like this is a place for them to make an impact and continue their learning.”
There are two spaces designated as the clean (for all tech-related stuff) and dirty (made for heavy construction) Makerspace that are each 750 square feet and are open to all current Hartnell students or faculty.
Celine Pinet, dean of academic affairs at Hartnell, said the Makerspace is a fabulous way to give students and the community access to hands-on experience to build things like robots, drones and art projects.
Pinet said Hartnell is collaborating with various K-12 schools in Monterey County along with the Alisal Center for the Arts.
“Then you get into where art meets science and you can get some really interesting new ideas come out,” Pinet said.
Maciel-Contreras said the group started going through all the requirements for getting the space up about two years ago and received the grant the following year. She said finding a spot for the Makerspace was a bit difficult but most of her time was spent on trying to set up equipment and getting the rooms cleaned up on time.
Carol Pepper-Kittredge, statewide project manager at CCC Maker, said in a press release that California Community Colleges are already seeing the positive impact of Makerspaces.
“Statewide, in just half a year, over 9,000 students have participated in an educational experience in a college Makerspace. Faculty have participated in over 140 professional development activities, (and) more than 290 courses have accessed Makerspaces and 65 advisory meeting have been held,” said Pepper-Kittredge.
Pinet said the Makerspace should have a big impact throughout the entire community and has already seen what it has done for the students at Hartnell. And with the grand opening just around the corner, she hopes that everyone’s ideas in the demonstration will enlighten other people’s minds.
Maciel-Contreras said now that the school is providing the equipment and the space, she wants to see what type of projects the students can come up with in the near future. So far, she’s heard students in Makerspace are already in the process of building robotic arms to help disabled people and parts for wheelchairs.
“I’m just looking forward to seeing what the students are going to be able to make and do,” Maciel-Contreras said.
Juan Reyes can be reached at (831) 726-4360
