Submit Your Proposals to Boost the UA Makerspace Community
March 8, 2021
Collaborative workspaces foster innovative thinking. Interdisciplinary teams can interact, learn from each other, and spark new ideas when they work together.
There has been a growth in makerspaces across the U.S. in schools, universities, community centers, and U.S. Department of Defense facilities. A makerspace can be an art studio. A makerspace can be an engineering lab.
A makerspace is, simply, where you can make things. It is both a set of equipment in a specific location and the processes and procedures that exist for community members to engage with that equipment.
In early February, UAF OIPC and Alaska Center ICE held three two-hour forums with the makerspace community at UAF. During these forums, attendees heard about the current capabilities and capacity of spaces at UAF and discussed some of the needs and challenges to maintain, sustain, and grow these spaces to support innovative teaching, research, and community engagement.
Several focus topics came to the fore during the discussions. These included having access to more effective tools, such as online content and interactive maps, to highlight the available spaces and points of contact. In addition, a pool of trained makerspace operators could support users wanting to access the space and equipment. Support to maintain and sustain the current equipment can help ensure a modern student experience and the successful implementation of processes to support integrated spaces and interdisciplinary projects that unite the UAF community.
Following these forums, Alaska Center ICE has set up a call for proposals that seek to fund innovative approaches to sustain and grow the existing makerspaces across the University of Alaska system and to build a community around these spaces.
Proposals must be submitted at 11:59 p.m. AKST on Friday, March 12, 2021. Proposals will not be considered for the call if received after this date and time. Proposed research or makerspace development would start Monday, March 22, 2021.
You can find more information at Center ICE website or contact Peter Webley at pwwebley@alaska.edu.