UC San Diego Hosts Maker Space Symposium

Panel of experts from the Maker community at the Southern California InnovationMaker3 Symposium

The Southern California InnovationMaker3 Symposium was held at the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego on Thursday, June 16, 2016.

The symposium is the second in a series of three events that bring together community college faculty interested in bringing maker spaces to their campuses with experts from the Maker community.

The events are presented by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) Workforce & Economic Development Division and the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST).

Nate Delson

“Jacobs School Dean Albert P. Pisano’s vision is for all engineers to have hands-on experience starting freshman year,” said Nate Delson, professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Department and faculty director of the EnVision Arts and Engineering Maker Studio at UC San Diego.

Delson gave a talk at the event. “We already had some small maker spaces such as the Design Studio in the MAE Department. EnVision is unique because all six engineering departments and the Visual Arts department are using it for classes.”

“We chose to hold this meeting at UC San Diego in order to connect Southern California community colleges with people like Nate Delson, because the fact that UC San Diego has a maker studio makes it a great trajectory for their students who are interested in making,” said Susan Hackwood, Executive Director of CCST.

Delson believes that maker spaces allow students to learn not just how to use a screwdriver, but all sorts of different tools in one space. He had advice for attendees: “Don’t leave the creation of a culture to chance – create a culture of inclusion and excellence. A maker space should be welcoming to students of all abilities by using techniques such as warm-up modules that bring all students up to speed on use of the fabrication tools. One of my favorite quotes is  ‘Hands on, minds on, hearts on’.”

Each symposium included the presentation of the recently released report: "Promoting Engagement of the California Community Colleges with the Maker Space Movement," authored by CCST. The report is a guide to develop a sustainable network which aligns with the educational goals of the Community Colleges while preserving the uniquely independent culture of the maker space.

The first of the three was held at UC Berkeley on June 13.