Innovation Sites — MakerUSA

Alabama

Requested PMs: 1
Athens State University is an upper-division university serving a non-traditional student population with an average age of 29. Located in rural, north Alabama, the campus and surrounding areas are situated in economically distressed opportunity zones. A new initiative, the Athens LaunchBox will serve as the University’s innovation hub for business development, regional entrepreneurship, and K-12 innovation outreach. The LaunchBox is funded by an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant and will open in Fall 2022. Several key goals for LaunchBox for 2023 include providing technical assistance to 100 maker entrepreneurs or small businesses as well as launching a for credit high school entrepreneurship program. Local partnerships include Athens Limestone Chamber of Commerce, City of Athens, Limestone County Economic Development Association, Limestone County Schools, and Athens City Schools.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would support the development and growth of the LaunchBox’s innovation ecosystem by developing new partnerships and delivering relevant programming to address the educational, technology and training gaps in the area. The position will provide critical support to building an emergent business networking culture, supporting a high school entrepreneur program, and coordinating the efforts of the LaunchBox’s elementary STEM outreach. The Program Manager will work with regional entrepreneurial support organizations, K-12 schools, government officials, and local industry representatives to build economic social mobility pathways for students and residents through entrepreneurship and collaboration.
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California

Requested PMs: 1
Serving approximately 17,000 students a year, Butte College has more than 200 degree and certificate programs, creating opportunities for students to train for careers or transfer to a California State University, University of California or private university. Butte College developed a makerspace four years ago and is in need of additional capacity and talent to develop new partnerships to facilitate the growth and sustainability of its space. This includes outreach to the campus community, local business and industry and the broader Maker community in the region. The College has also developed a makerspace course for students enabling them to develop new skills through the use of the tools and technologies in the space while partnering with local start-ups and entrepreneurs to help them solve real business challenges.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would support the development of a local ecosystem where Butte College’s makerspace plays a central role in bringing together community partners, including local industry, entrepreneurs and the local chamber of commerce. Through this ecosystem, community partners will be able to collaborate with faculty around course design and implementation, expanding real world learning opportunities and career pathways. These efforts will be critical to further integrating the makerspace as a resource across faculty departments and ensuring the sustainability of the makerspace as a vital resource to Butte College and the broader community.
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Requested PMs: 1
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Los Angeles Harbor (BGCLAH) is the largest daily service provider to at-risk youth in the Los Angeles Harbor area, operating programs at 8 Clubhouses year-round and providing after-school programming on 12 public school campuses. BGCLAH serves 2,200 youth daily, with more than 8,500 members served annually. BGCLAH is in progress of establishing an IdeaLab at the Port of Los Angeles BGC site in San Pedro. The IdeaLab will act as a dedicated space for middle school and high school youth to innovate, create, brainstorm, research, and develop new and disruptive ideas, solutions and products. The IdeaLab will engage K-12 students in entrepreneurial thinking and the maker mindset through a variety of activities, hands-on learning experiences and projects.
A MakersUSA Program Manager will facilitate workshops and connect youth with leaders in the community that can serve as a resource or mentor for the IdeaLab, including local entrepreneurs. A PM would develop innovative ways for the IdeaLab to sustain and grow its programming and partnerships, as part of the larger, developing STEAM ecosystem in the Los Angeles Harbor area. This includes leveraging the IdeaLab’s close proximity to the ocean, creating unique opportunities to engage youth in topics related to marine science and environmental conservation, and for them to develop their own solutions to address local environmental challenges.
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Requested PMs: 2
Through a CCC Maker grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office in 2017-19, Cabrillo College activated a new Cabrillo College Makerspace in Aptos, CA. In just 18 months, the college placed over 60 STEAM-skilled student maker interns, representing 19 different disciplines across campus, in companies and nonprofits throughout the Monterey Bay region. Cabrillo’s leadership in making has been nationally recognized, but with the end of the CCC Maker grant funding, the college is exploring how to continue its momentum, while also more deeply connecting its maker programming with entrepreneurship pathways.
MakerUSA Program Manager(s) will provide critical support to the college as it aims to expand the existing makerspace to serve not only local educational needs, but also the needs of local Santa Cruz County entrepreneurs, especially through the Watsonville Center, which serves a primarily Latinx population in the southern part of Santa Cruz county. A partnership with MakerUSA would support efforts to explore a satellite makerspace that is combined with an innovation/incubation center, in collaboration with the county’s small business development center (SBDC).
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Requested PMs: 1
College of the Desert is a Hispanic Serving Institution that serves more than 12,000 students each year. COD is the number one source of transfer students from the Coachella Valley to California State University at San Bernardino. The College is in the process of opening Roadrunner Makers, a new makerspace on campus. The space will be open to faculty, staff, and students who want to participate in hands-on, interdisciplinary projects, workshops, and activities. Upcoming workshops include calligraphy, Adobe Illustrator, 3D printing, vinyl cutting, and laser engraving. COD will also participate in NASA’s GLEE LunaSat Workshops, where students will program, test, and gather data using a tiny spacecraft for a mission to the moon’s surface. The College plans to engage the broader community in the makerspace, including developing a curriculum and programming for K-12 students.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would coordinate activities within the makerspace, including working with faculty, forging new collaborations with community partners, and helping to foster an inclusive and creative environment for students, faculty, staff, and community members. The PM will also support partnership development with local companies and entrepreneurship-focused organizations to ensure the space directly supports the Strong Workforce and entrepreneurship pathways.
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Requested PMs: 1
Folsom Lake College serves more than 9,000 students across its three campuses and online, with 89 degrees and certificates offered. The Innovation Center at Folsom Lake College is a discipline-agnostic, innovation hub and makerspace. The Center provides training, resources, and energy to support innovative approaches to teaching and learning and student empowerment. The Center partners with students, faculty, community organizations, local employers, and preK-12 educators to help catalyze the regional maker ecosystem. Through the Innovation Center’s Making Across the Curriculum efforts, educators from a variety of disciplines have integrated the ethos, tools, and techniques of making into their practice, leading to the development of unique curriculum, partnerships, class activities, and interdisciplinary projects.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would help the Innovation Center expand upon its existing partnerships with PreK-12 schools, building off a strong network of five K-12 schools and one youth-serving community organization developed by the Center as a Maker Ed Making Spaces Hub site. The Program Manager will play a critical role in developing relationships with various stakeholders, including local employers, with the goal of supporting an emerging college program in Manufacturing and Industrial Technology (MITECH), and articulating career pathways for high school and community college students. In addition to these outreach efforts, the Program Manager will actively work with other key community partners to strengthen the Greater Sacramento regional maker ecosystem, coordinating efforts in particular, among makerspaces and education partners in the region.
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Requested PMs: 1
IERDC serves as a regional network to facilitate coordination and collaboration around career and technical education and workforce and economic development in the Inland Empire/Desert Region, including the role of maker education in these efforts. The region includes nine community college districts comprised of 12 community colleges, two county offices of education, 56 public school districts, four regional occupational centers/programs, and more than 50 charter schools.
A MakerUSA Program would strengthen the maker ecosystem across the Inland Empire/Desert Region Consortium by improving information and best practice sharing, program coordination and storytelling. The Program Manager will also lead coordination efforts to further connect college makerspaces in the region to entrepreneurship resources and programs.
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PMs requested: 2
More than 23,000 teachers have benefited from the innovative programs and professional development opportunities provided by the Krause Center for Innovation (KCI), which is focused on transforming teaching and learning. This includes the Makerspace at KCI, which serves Foothill College students and staff, educators in the greater Bay Area and the broader San Mateo and Santa Clara County Community. KCI’s approach to expanding access to maker-centered learning is multi-faceted and includes access to tools and technology, courses, certifications, events and social support. KCI has two unique programs- SPACE (Supporting Prototyping And Creativity in Education) and MERIT (Making Education Relevant through Innovative Teaching), which enable educators to receive CA State Certifications as a Makerspace Coordinator and as an Education Technology Specialist respectively.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would support the coordination of activities within the makerspace, including working directly with student makers on their projects and collaborating with faculty members focused on integrating the use of the makerspace and entrepreneurial frameworks into their courses as part of CA Community Colleges’ Invention and Inclusive Innovation (i3) initiative. A second PM would help to develop a vibrant community of practice of maker educators that have benefitted from KCI’s professional development programs and courses regionally and across the state, including continuing to partner with key community and industry partners such as Ignited and SEMI. This PM would also collaborate with other post-secondary institutions who are interested in designing something similar to KCI’s SPACE program.
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Requested PMs: 1
Moreno Valley College’s iMake Innovation Center is a hands-on, inclusive student-run makerspace creating opportunities for students, faculty and community members to engage in remaking the physical and digital world through experimentation, invention, creation, exploration, and STEM learning. MVC also has mobile makerspace that brings these experiences to K-12 students and educators throughout the region. Through MVC’s Experiential Learning: Closing the STEM Talent Gap project, the college is focused on increasing the number of Hispanic and low-income students who successfully attain degrees in STEM and pursue STEM careers by utilizing the versatility of experiential learning to develop an array of applied learning options that foster student interest and enrollment, improve student success, and facilitate degree completion and transfer.
This project will build an Outdoor Learning Laboratory while leveraging makerspace applications and resources to include outdoor learning opportunities; integrating virtual and augmented reality in historically challenging classes to better engage students in the learning process; and expanding the availability of internships, apprenticeships, and other work-based learning opportunities that are articulated to and offered in conjunction with baccalaureate programs throughout California, targeting Computer Science, Math, and Biology pathways. An emphasis on place-based and project based learning will also help students connect theory and practice and personalize the classroom experience for first generation and other non-traditional students. These tools and skill sets will also be utilized in the Moreno Valley community to help with social issues like food injustice.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would focus on supporting the STEM Talent Gap project, working in collaboration with the Project Director, a multi-disciplinary core team of faculty as well as STEM Learning and CTE specialists. These efforts would include the development of new programming or expansion of existing activities and creating new strategic partnerships with local industry and technology companies.
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Requested PMs: 2
Mt. San Antonio College is one of the largest community colleges in CA, and is federally designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). Mt. San Antonio College (“Mt SAC”) founded the on-campus Mountie MakerSpace in September 2017, a unique makerspace with a full metalworking shop; a full woodworking shop; a full digital production area and a full set of powered and manual hand tools from many disciplines. Large work tables inside the building are available for many uses, in addition to outdoor work areas for messy, loud or specialty activities such as rocket motor testing, robot driving, spray painting, building large objects or construction activities. Mt. SAC has been committed to driving MakerSpace member success and innovation with its five-year support of the makerspace environment where over 2800 members have collaborated on the creation of tangible items and entrepreneurial ideas. The Mountie MakerSpace serves as a hub for project-based learning across barriers such as instructional disciplines, member background and age. Membership is free for everyone.
Currently all MakerSpace staff are part-time contractors, there are no paid Program Managers or Directors. MakerUSA Program Managers will support programs and activities that volunteers cannot currently manage. Activities include the expansion of existing programming, introduction of new events and initiatives that appeal to specific student or community groups, hosting conferences, mentoring other makerspaces and providing a thorough analysis of Mountie MakerSpace usage data over the past five years. The PMs will also explore ways for the MakerSpace to support small businesses and serve as an ideal site for them to train or recruit new/ existing employees. Finally, PMs will actively support entrepreneurial activities by members through mentorship, workshops, connections to supportive organizations, and one-on-one training and counseling.
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Requested PMs: 1
Norco College is working to develop a comprehensive and inclusive makerspace to support its more than 15,000 students and the broader community to foster kinesthetic learning. The College has resourcefully identified several shared and flexible spaces throughout the campus that can be used to host different types of maker-centered learning experiences and activities, which includes leveraging areas used for learning about engineering and manufacturing. In addition, the College is building a complementary mobile makerspace that would provide opportunities to engage more community members in meaningful design, engineering and making experiences in the region. These efforts are supported by CA Community College’s Strong Workforce Program, which is focused on growing and improving Career Technical Education to increase social mobility and create vibrant local economies.
A MakerUSA program manager would support the development of community-driven on-campus and mobile makerspace programming and engage in outreach to create new partnerships with local businesses, industry and other key stakeholders, expanding Norco College’s capabilities to support individual economic agency and collective economic growth throughout the region.
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Requested PMs: 1
For more than 25 years, Public Glass has served as San Francisco’s only publicly accessible glass studio & school. As a non-profit organization located in the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood, Public Glass has provided numerous opportunities for students and community members to explore glass from beginning instruction in glassmaking to supporting artists and entrepreneurs in their professional endeavors. Classes are taught by local and nationally recognized artists and its youth programs are interdisciplinary, emphasizing the importance of science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.A.M).
MakerUSA Program Managers would support the expansion of existing programs and forge the development of new career pathway programs for underserved artists and makers focused on enabling them to continue their craft while generating sustainable income. This is incredibly important given the continued rising cost of living in the Bay Area, which has prompted many makers to relocate outside of the region. PMs would support individual makers by connecting them to additional resources provided by Public Glass or other partners in the community, including professional development and mentorship opportunities and entrepreneurship resources.
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Requested PMs: 1
Riverside City College enrolls 30,000 students annually, with 73.5% of students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Over the past 3 years, faculty members in the applied digital media, entrepreneurship, film and television, and cyber security disciplines have worked collaboratively to design an inclusive and interdisciplinary makerspace where students can develop and create new solutions and products. This new makerspace will be located in the main library on campus and construction will be completed by the end of summer 2022. RCC aims to enable all students access to the space and has committed to covering material costs over the next two years.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would work closely with the makerspace’s faculty advisory group to identify programming opportunities to enhance and complement student classroom learning across various disciplines. The college aims for the makerspace to serve as a unique asset that can support interdisciplinary projects and learning across departments. A PM would also focus on identifying new resources for the makerspace and exploring how new partnerships can guide and support makerspace operations and programming. This would include outreach and engagement with community stakeholders, such as local industry, non-profit organizations, K-12 schools and foundations.
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Requested PMs: 2
Sacramento City College provides outstanding academic and vocational training to over 20,000 students across the Sacramento region. The college has invested in maker-centered learning as a tool to support CTE pathways as well as student innovation and entrepreneurship. Sac City is now expanding its existing makerspace (2,300 sq/ft) to become a centrally-located 5,000 sq/ft facility opening in Spring 2023.The new facility will provide a long-term home for the college’s unique, interdisciplinary, technological innovation hub and offer workforce preparation and clear career pathway preparation for all students.
A partnership with MakerUSA would play an important role in Sac City’s expansion efforts and significantly grow the college’s capacity to develop a comprehensive digital fabrication lab, expanded makerspace, and innovation and coding hub. Program Managers would also support the college's efforts to develop a small business incubator that would be connected to the new facility, and will become a critical tool to support entrepreneurship pathways for students leveraging this dynamic innovation space.
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Requested PMs: 1
Synergy Learning Institute is a technical and vocational school which partners with a wide variety of academic institutions and organizations to help individuals advance their professional skills in areas such as entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership and across various industries. The Institute develops customized courses and certifications for partners which address their needs and challenges. The Institute was originally developed to provide veterans transitioning from military to civilian life with accessible, affordable and high-quality courses to support them in this process and position them for success in their next professional endeavors. Leveraging its unique model in partnering with post-secondary institutions, the Institute is developing a course series which would help community colleges and technical schools take an entrepreneurship approach to the design and implementation process for their own makerspaces or maker education programs. Topics that would be covered in this course series include entrepreneurship & innovation, lean startup and finance.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would work with a team at Synergy Learning Institute to pilot this course series with 1-2 community or technical colleges in the greater San Diego area. A PM would facilitate elements of the course series and work with key faculty and staff at the partner institution to support series implementation. The PM would also provide additional, individualized guidance and coaching to students that participate in the series on continued maker career pathways opportunities at their institution or within their community.
Requested PMs: 2
Located in the High Desert, Victor Valley College has been providing opportunities for student learning and success through academic advancement, workforce development, and personal growth for more than 60 years, with a strong commitment to equity and social justice. As part of these efforts, the College has been focused on expanding students’ equitable career pathways by creating more opportunities for all students to engage in entrepreneurship and maker experiences and training. This includes Victor Valley College Business Administration Department’s Entrepreneurship Certificate of Achievement, which offers students a multi-disciplinary approach to the process of ideation, research, and development helping students pursue new business opportunities.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would support individual student makers on their unique career or entrepreneurial pathway. This could include customized support for marginalized or underrepresented students and the design of culturally relevant programs and resources for specific student groups, such as the school’s large Latino student population.
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Requested PMs: 2
Item descriptionWest Los Angeles College is committed to making real-world maker education accessible to its diverse population of 16,000-19,000 students from underserved, low-income backgrounds. This includes The Creativity Studies Program, which includes courses on creativity, innovation and leadership. West is a Minority/Hispanic Serving Institution (MSI/HISI) with approximately 43% of our students identifying as Hispanic, 24% as African American and 33% being Asian, White or multi-Ethnic. The College also offers approximately 24 Associate Degrees for Transfer, 41 Associate Degrees, 16 different Certificates of Completion, and 25 different Skill Certificates. With a focus on creating pathways for students to enter into and thrive in the 21st century creative workforce, the College plans to grow its existing collaborations with the entertainment, Silicon Beach, and aerospace industries surrounding its campus, which can still feel inaccessible to our students. One main way of bridging this gap is through establishing a new makerspace on campus to provide students with hands-on work experience and the creative confidence to be innovators and entrepreneurs.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would be an invaluable resource in the planning and design phase of the makerspace. They will work to ensure that the space and related programming and curriculum are well aligned with students’ and faculty’s goals as well as those of strategic partners and the overall goals of the College. These efforts will be critical to developing a long-term, sustainable model for the makerspace. A second MakerUSA PM would focus on developing an ecosystem to support diverse student innovation and entrepreneurship by forging dynamic ties with local K-12 schools, chambers of commerce, employers and industry leaders to best serve the community. This new ecosystem will have a lasting systemic impact for the region and increase students' opportunities across LA's entrepreneurial landscape.
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Maryland

Requested PMs: 1
Coppin State University developed the first partnership between an HBCU and community makerspace in the country, collaborating with Open Works, a 34,000 square foot nonprofit makerspace in the neighborhood. Recognizing the critical role that makerspaces can play in economic inclusion, Coppin State University is lowering the barrier for diverse makers to become entrepreneurs through programs and initiatives such as the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Certificate, a one-year, credit-bearing credential offered in conjunction with programs at the College of Business and Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would support ongoing innovation ecosystem building in West Baltimore which includes new partnerships and collaborations to support outreach to K-12 students in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.
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Requested PMs: 2
Nation of Makers is a national nonprofit supporting America’s maker organizations through community building, resource sharing, and advocacy, within the Maker Movement and beyond. This includes events such as NOMCON, the annual maker leadership conference, the Capitol Hill Maker Faire, as well as initiatives such as the Annual Survey of Makerspaces, the National Week of Making, and the BIPOC Maker Collective, a group of BIPOC technologists, creatives, and thought-leaders focused on the use of culture, making, and technology for improving the quality of life of all people of color. Nation of Makers’ commitment to support communities in creating equitable and inclusive opportunities for individuals to engage in making can also be seen through its advocacy and policy efforts at the national level with the Congressional Maker Caucus, as well as efforts engaging with state and local government leaders.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would focus on expanding and nurturing the organization’s higher education partnerships and community, in particular engaging and fortifying its partnerships with HBCUs, TCUs, and other MSIs, as well as community colleges. A second Program Manager would support the efforts of Nation of Makers’ BIPOC Makers Collective, which would contribute to the further development of new diverse partnerships and collaborations at Nation of Makers, including those focused on apprenticeships and entrepreneurship.
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Requested PMs: 1
Open Works was founded in 2016 to rebuild Baltimore’s manufacturing economy from the grassroots up. Its mission is to make tools, technology, and the knowledge to use them accessible to all. Open Works is one of the country’s largest nonprofit makerspaces and provides affordable membership access to 7 different industrial workshops, including metal/welding, woodworking, CNC/laser fabrication, sewing, electronics, 3D printing, and digital media. The space also provides workshops and classes for how to use these tools for ages 8+ and rents small studios to entrepreneurs, small business owners, nonprofits, and artists. Open Works supports 118 jobs and 1,000 youth a year through its educational programs. A 2019 report, Turning Makerspaces into Greater Places, found that Open Works’ operations contributed $4 million in labor income and $8 million in output for the city of Baltimore. In April 2022, Open Works in partnership with multiple organizations across the state, successfully led advocacy efforts to pass Maryland SB453, the first state-wide legislation in U.S. history to provide funding to build and expand makerspaces. The legislation will provide $5 million appropriated over 5 years, with significant startup funds to build the first truly public, municipally owned-and-operated makerspace network in the U.S.. With a validated and sustainable model, the team at Open Works is focused on expanding its vision to multiple locations and operating models to extend this impact throughout Maryland.
A MakerUSA Program Manager will provide the much needed additional support for these important efforts with regional, state-wide and national impact. More specifically, a PM would develop and implement a documentation strategy and system for Open Works operating systems, policies, curricula and best practices to be centralized and shared with these new makerspace locations, providing critical resources, information and infrastructure to ensure that these new makerspaces are launched as smoothly as possible.
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Colorado

Requested PMs: 1
Pinhead Institute, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is one of the leading providers of high-quality, STEAM and maker education programming in rural Colorado. Pinhead Institute brings both in-school and extracurricular programming to 11 regional K-12 school districts in rural, southwest Colorado, including: Cortez, Dolores, Telluride, Norwood, Nucla, Naturita, Paradox, Ridgway, Ouray, Montrose and Olathe K-12 districts. In addition to its many other programs, Pinhead has developed a STEM Lab at a public high school, where they are operating programs ranging from FIRST Robotics to Laser Cutting and 3D Modeling, however the space remains underutilized to its full potential. Pinhead also operates and supports various maker/invention equipment in many of their service areas. There is a significant need and opportunity to leverage these spaces as regional assets for other districts and also develop more sophisticated maker and CTE experiences.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would help develop more advanced maker programming and introduce more CTE-focused classes. The PM would have an important role in achieving a vision of a strong innovation ecosystem across rural, southwest Colorado, within which all students have high-quality maker opportunities and clear connections with regional/state career pathways. The PM would support partnership development with key pathways stakeholders, including regional postsecondary institutions, workforce development initiatives, and local companies.
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Connecticut

Requested PMs: 1
Operation Pathways is the nonprofit resident services subsidiary of The NHP Foundation, a national affordable housing provider. Operation Pathways offers robust person-centered programs and services for residents to support them as they work toward personal or community-wide goals. Operation Pathways is co-leading the Multi-Gen STEM Makerspaces in Affordable Housing: Co-Designing a Model with the Community project (aka “Multi-Gen Makers”), a collaboration with residents at Bayview Towers, a 200 unit affordable housing complex in Stamford, CT. Working with CAST and the Boston University Social Learning Lab, with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the project is developing a sustainable model for multigenerational making and learning through a makerspace that builds the skills and dispositions that can support a STEM career trajectory. The Makerspace is aligned with Operation Pathways’ vision of providing programs and services which are informed by our community members.
A MakerUSA Program Manager will focus on learning from and refining the Bayview Towers model, while exploring scale potential with public housing authority partners in 1-2 additional Operation Pathways communities. The Program Manager, together with MakerUSA national staff, would support Operation Pathways as it explores ways to learn from the pilot model and expand high-quality informal STEM and maker-centered learning programming within additional marginalized communities.
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Florida

Requested PMs: 1
The Pan African Cultural Heritage Institute researches social, cultural and economic issues and the culture and connectivity of the people of the African Diaspora. The Institute is exploring the ways in which a network of community-driven makerspaces could facilitate the sharing and preservation of the rich culture of making that has taken place across the southern Black Belt region and create opportunities for community members to create thriving businesses while developing innovative solutions to local challenges.
A MakerUSA Program manager would focus on examining the feasibility of a network of makerspaces across the Black Belt Region, conducting outreach to community leaders, key stakeholders and potential partners and understanding the unique role of faith-based organizations in such an initiative.
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PMs Requested: 1
Tallahassee Community College was named a top ten college in the nation by the Aspen Institute through the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. 79% of TCC graduates transfer to a 4-year institution in Florida after graduation. As an active member of AERO (Alliance of Entrepreneur Resource Organizations), TCC has developed several strategic partnerships with schools and community-based partners to broaden access to entrepreneurship opportunities for students in the region. TCC serves as the founding partner for an entrepreneurship program developed with Gadsden County School District, the largest majority minority county in the state of Florida.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would work with a team at TCC to develop a long-term strategic plan and model for creating entrepreneurship pathways that extend from K-12 and into TCC and local technical colleges. This effort would center around understanding the different approaches TCC and partner higher ed institutions such as Florida State University and Florida A&M University could take in working together to nurture a maker and entrepreneurial mindset in students across the region. This includes providing students with the space, technology, tools and resources to help them design, develop, prototype and launch their own local businesses.
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Georgia

Hawaii

PMs Requested: 1
STE(A)M Truck is a growing fleet of mobile innovation labs that began as one single truck in 2014 — and just a few years later — is now a growing fleet of mobile maker-spaces that serve more than 8,000 elementary and middle school youth across Georgia each year. STE(A)M Truck was created to spark a passion in youth for science, technology, engineering, arts and math by bringing the coolest tools, equipment and mentors directly to schools. STE(A)M Truck provides students with access to the expertise and materials needed to implement hands-on building, tinkering, and learning experiences that are oftentimes unavailable in schools serving low-income communities. STE(A)M Truck has made significant impact reaching students in the Metro Atlanta area and in the past two years has proven the importance of building out an arm of virtual support to expand access to communities in rural Georgia. In addition to designing site-based support for rural communities, STE(A)M Truck is creating an online platform of STE(A)M Truck curricular resources (lesson plans, videos, activities, implementation guides, etc).
A MakerUSA Program Manager will work with a team to expand STE(A)M Truck’s professional learning offerings to in-service teachers and advocate for schools and community centers to have access to experiential and interdisciplinary maker education. A PM would assess the needs for school and community-based makerspaces and develop recommendations to address these gaps.They would also implement a local workforce development initiative as part of a sustainability strategy for a school/community based makerspace.
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PMs Requested: 1
Kaua`i Community College is one of 10 campuses in the University of Hawai‘i system. KCC is a kahua that inspires, engages, and empowers learners and educators to enrich their community and our world. The College accomplishes this through open access and affordable education which includes small classes on campus and virtual learning opportunities. KCC engages students in life-long learning as they pursue personal and professional goals through programs that address the needs of the local economy, workforce and broader community. As an anchor institution on the island, Kaua`i Community College continues to foster innovation and local problem solving while perpetuating the unique history and culture of Kauaʻi.

The Ka Papa Hana Holomua Academic Affairs Plan’s vision is to innovate, create, and propel ideas into the future. A critical component of this plan will be an inclusive and equitable innovation center and the development of new programs and partnerships that support student pathways into entrepreneurship and are reflective of the changing needs of the Kaua‘i community. A MakerUSA Program Manager would work closely with KCC leadership (including a CTE Dean and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs) and a diverse set of community and college stakeholders to more deeply understand the needs of the community and develop key goals for the design and implementation of such a space. KCC envisions a vibrant innovation center that could support student makers and local entrepreneurs at various stages on the island, create a culture of sharing and learning among these individuals and serve as a site where community stakeholders can come together to collaborate with local businesses. Previous surveying of community stakeholders has confirmed that an innovation center is in high need and in high demand.
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Iowa

Requested PMs: 1
Description text goes hereNorth Iowa Area Community College’s (NIACC) Innovation Workspace is a place where students are prototyping new product ideas and solutions, working on their passion projects and further developing career-relevant skills, whether they’re pursuing a career in business, graphic design or information technology. The Innovation Workspace is where students are building community, have a sense of belonging and are exploring how their unique interests can be parlayed into professional careers.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would provide students and the community with much needed individual and customized support, mentoring and guidance to take their specific projects to the next level. This includes connecting them with the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and other programs, resources and partners to help them iterate on a prototype, develop a business plan, and grow their customer base.
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Requested PMs: 2
Gizmo-CdA is a community makerspace which has grown over the past 8 years from its original 2,600 sq ft space in downtown Coeur d'Alene to 11,000 sq ft of usable space on the North Idaho College campus. Gizmo-CdA’s growth and expansion over the past 8 years has been community-led and focused on an approach driven by understanding what barriers existed for community members to participate in Gizmo-CdA. Today, the makerspace hosts a woodshop, machine shop, welding studio, blacksmithing studio, pottery studio, lapidary and emerging media arts lab. Gizmo-CdA supports K-20 educators through a lending library of more than 250 pieces of equipment, in collaboration with the Idaho STEM Action Center. The makerspace also offers a variety of professional development programs and field trips for students.
One MakerUSA Program Manager will work closely with Gizmo’s Innovative Educators to be a liaison between educators, students, and the makerspace, serving students prek-20, and pre-service, in-service and informal educators. This will include growing and curating Gizmo-CdA’s professional development offerings, designing and implementing a wide range of education programming including field trips and summer camp within the makerspace as well as in outreach capacities. A second PM will develop effective approaches engaging with students and staff at North Idaho College and more specifically, The Venture Network -a hub of on-campus resources and services dedicated to help people launch, build, and grow their business or product idea.
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Requested PMs: 2
The Idaho STEM Action Center (STEM AC) is focused on building a strong STEM-skilled workforce by supporting improved and expanded STEM and Maker-Centered Learning opportunities for all Idahoans and forming strategic partnerships with industry to ensure compatibility between K-20 and workforce needs. STEM AC aims to position itself as a center of expertise for STEM in Idaho through raising awareness on the value of STEM, creating greater access to STEM opportunities, and aligning STEM education with workforce needs. Through this work, STEM AC’s goal is to have students, educators, parents, and organizations they work with regularly produce and/or utilize a variety of STEM and Making opportunities in their communities.” Last year, STEM AC's work directly impacted over 80,000 students and 11,000 educators.
MakerUSA Program Managers have an important role in fostering a strong statewide STEM ecosystem. PMs would work with the STEM AC team to implement its newly developed Theory of Engagement. This would include 1) Improving awareness of the importance of STEM and of available opportunities and resources by developing impactful messaging and materials ; 2) Increasing collaboration and communication between STEM educators and organizations, including participating in discussions and facilitating consultations to understand gaps and needs; 3) Expanding successful implementations of STEM learning in organizations and communities; 4) Increasing access to STEM opportunities for all Idahoans.
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Requested PMs: 2
The West Houston Institute is Houston Community College's center for strategic innovation. Conceived collaboratively by stakeholders across the college and these communities, the Institute’s vision is to reimagine and reinvent higher education by providing students and the community with the essential mindsets and skill sets needed to thrive today. The West Houston Institute offers several signature programs to accomplish this, including IDEAS Academy, Innovation Fellows, Teaching Innovation Lab, and our Learning Spaces Institute. This also includes unique spaces in support of creativity and collaboration including IDEAStudio, a 10,000 square foot makerspace, the Collaboratorium, a solution design center, Learning Commons, our vision for the modern library, and advanced science labs and research space for life and physical sciences.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would support the growth of a current partnership with a local school district to support middle and high school students and teachers in developing maker mindsets and accompanying skills. This would include creating opportunities for students to engage in unique workforce pathways to local industry. A second PM would focus on building a “Houston Made” brand initiative with the team at the West Houston Institute. This would include development of entrepreneurship programming, resources and support for youth, current students and broader community members. This effort would further strengthen the growing maker economy ecosystem locally.
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Idaho

Illinois

Requested PMs: 1
For more than 23 years, Project Exploration has focused on addressing inequities in access to high-quality STEM opportunities in out-of-school time in the broader Chicago area. With equity at its core, Project Exploration serves youth from communities historically underrepresented in STEM fields and recruits students who are curious and interested in science but face systemic challenges to accessing high-quality programs, such as academic prerequisites or program fees. The organization develops programs which deeply engage students in authentic STEM experiences, alongside mentors and STEM professionals who serve as role models. Project Exploration’s STEM Learning Centers serve as regional anchors for STEM learning opportunities, providing free and accessible STEM learning hubs for West Side youth, and families.
A MakerUSA Program Manager will focus on creating workforce and entrepreneurship pathways for students by developing new programs and partnerships that enable youth to explore a variety of making-related, science-focused careers. A PM would focus in particular in growing the diversity and number of partnerships with local companies, higher ed institutions and organizations with professionals that could engage in mentorship and career exploration programs. This would significantly advance Project Exploration’s capacity to strengthen diverse STEM pathways into Chicago-area companies.
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Louisiana

PMs Requested: 1
Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is a nationally recognized leader in the STEM and health sciences fields and the only Catholic, HBCU in the U.S.. The institution produces more African American students who graduate from medical school each year than any other university in the country. XULA is part of the HBCU IP Futures Collaborative: Powered by Michelson IP to empower all future entrepreneurs and innovators with education on intellectual property rights and strategy. The XULA Library’s Innovation Studio (makerspace) was created in 2018 and has a wide variety of tools and technologies that are used for class and personal projects. The Studio has been working with faculty in different departments to integrate the makerspace into course curriculum to create new experiential learning opportunities. The Studio will be adding a virtual reality (VR) lab, creating the opportunity to partner with Xavier’s Biology Resource Center, which recently received funding to use VR to help students understand complex biology and life sciences concepts.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would help re-establish the deep connections that the Innovation Studio had with the local community before the COVID-19 pandemic, including working with community-based partners to engage students in new projects serving the city’s most vulnerable residents. A PM would further develop resources to engage and support university student makers, including beginner's workshops in maker technologies, incorporating intellectual property education, and supporting the development of new VR curriculum designed to inspire STEM careers. A PM would also develop a more formal partnership with the Greater New Orleans Region’s Louisiana Small Business Development Center. In aggregate, these projects would expand access to both experiences and social capital for XULA students in ways that will empower their own designs and solutions, while advancing STEM career pathways.
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North Carolina

Requested PMs: 1
Forward Cities is a national nonprofit equipping communities and regions to grow and sustain more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems. Forward Cities works to close the racial wealth gap in America and sees entrepreneurship as a powerful vehicle for achieving this goal. The organization builds capacity for communities across the country by equipping them with strategies and techniques for developing the connective tissue to develop an inclusive and thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.
In concert with the organization’s recent Small Business Administration grant to support the Community Navigator Pilot Program in Durham, North Carolina, Forward Cities aims to have a MakerUSA Program Manager work across the Triangle region. A Program Manager would lead a landscape assessment and design processes intended to identify and further develop resources and networks that can support local “maker starters” (pre or early-stage entrepreneurs) on entrepreneurship pathways. This includes identifying relevant financial and non-financial entrepreneurship-supporting services that could support their maker-business goals. Forward Cities would aim to develop a model for supporting diverse, local maker entrepreneurs that could be scaled to communities across the organization’s network.
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Nebraska

PMs Requested: 1
Northeast Community College (NCC) aims to advance a dynamic STEM innovation model across a remotely rural region of Nebraska where agriculture and ag-related manufacturing account for 50% of the region’s GDP. NCC’s Fabrication Lab is a new makerspace that will be part of broader work organized under the Heartland Robotics Cluster. The Cluster seeks to make Nebraska a leader in robotic technologies and advanced manufacturing automation in the agricultural industry. In addition to NCC, the Cluster includes the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering and the university’s makerspace; Metropolitan Community College in Omaha; the Manufacturing Extension Partnership; and Invest Nebraska. The Cluster partners will collaborate on projects involving workforce/education pathways, robotics startups, community and industry partnership and research & development. The Cluster aims to increase Nebraska’s economic output for agriculture and manufacturing, while also increasing degree pathways in robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing for underserved K-12 populations.
A Program Manager will work with NCC to support the development and implementation of the Fabrication Lab and programming, which will include collaborating with Cluster higher education partners and additional stakeholders in the region. This includes working with faculty members and students to integrate the Lab into a new two-year robotics curriculum. The PM will also contribute to projects being co-led by other members of the Heartland Robotics Cluster to build a regional ecosystem that develops cutting-edge agricultural technology and talent, and directly contributes to national competitiveness and domestic business creation. MakerUSA would have an important role in supporting this STEM innovation ecosystem and the rural student pathways necessary for its success.
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New Hampshire

Requested PMs: 1
Makers Mill is a makerspace and vocation hub, on track to open late summer 2022, that is the culmination of over a decade of sustainable community-building by the nonprofit, G.A.L.A., in the rural Mountains and Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Its mission is to enrich rural lives and foster fulfilling livelihoods by bringing people together to cultivate and share a wide variety of crafts, skills, technologies, and arts for personal, professional, and community goals. As the first makerspace in the underserved region of Carroll County, Makers Mill will provide critical resources for workplace and entrepreneurship development through: 1) Coordinating targeted workforce training to help close the skills-gap, especially in the trades sector; 2) Credentialing and portfolio-building opportunities that support career mobility and transition; 3) Affordable entry points for entrepreneurs and an inspiring co-working space to help launch and pursue their own business.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would bring capacity and dedicated program support for Makers Mill’s workforce development and entrepreneur tracks. The PM would work with a team to conduct research, develop a landscape analysis and implement a workforce development program, including an entrepreneurial incubator, that supports early-stage makers and creatives, and expands Makers Mill’s capacity to champion individual and collective economic and creative agency throughout the region. The PM would also help to develop mission-aligned collaborations and resources to design, implement and expand innovative vocation and entrepreneurship pathways through programming and mentorships. These collaborations would include local community and technical colleges, businesses, existing but limited workplace development organizations, and other NH makerspaces.
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PMs Requested: 1
MAXT Makerspace supports the creative community of the Monadnock Region through shared tools, resources and education. MAXT has 10,000 square feet of offices, studio spaces and dedicated workshops for woodworking, metal working, jewelry, textiles, printmaking, laser cutting, 3D printing and more. As a community-based makerspace, the team at MAXT has focused on developing relationships with local education partners and major employers to develop targeted workforce development activities. In 2019, MAXT piloted a welding certification program that has blossomed into a stand-alone welding school. In addition, MAXT has been working with local economic planning commissions, the regional chamber of commerce and entrepreneurship centers to provide entrepreneurial support services for local small and medium sized businesses.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would continue to build upon these efforts. For example, a PM would take the best practices developed from the welding program to develop programming that meets the needs of the trades and advanced manufacturing companies in the region. The PM would work closely with makerspace instructors to support the delivery of high-quality continuing education programs for all ages that highlight what is possible to accomplish using the makerspace. A PM would also continue to expand the unique and important role that MAXT plays in nurturing individual maker entrepreneurs within the local economic ecosystem of this rural region.
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Requested PMs: 1
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (CMP), comprised of the Children’s Museum and MuseumLab, constitutes the largest cultural campus for children in the U.S. and serves youth from birth through their teen years. Across its exhibits, public spaces, and programming, it serves close to 300,000 children and adults annually (in years not impacted by COVID-19). MuseumLab opened in 2019 and is an aged up version of the tried and true hands-on learning found in the Children’s Museum’s MAKESHOP and other exhibit spaces. Both Museums share space with schools – the Children’s Museum is home to two Pittsburgh Public School pre-k classrooms, while MuseumLab is home to the Manchester Academic Charter School’s 140 middle school students. CMP believes that merging the best of informal and formal education practices has the potential to transform education in the United States.
Through years of innovative, field-leading research, CMP has helped to pioneer principles of practice, toolkits, and design frameworks to advance Maker Education nationally. CMP would leverage a MakerUSA Program Manager to expand and deepen its relationships with schools and community-based organizations both on its campus and across the region, seeking ways to integrate practices in thoughtful ways and engage more students in MuseumLab and MAKESHOP. This would include building upon the Museum’s robust programming, which includes artist residencies, summer camps, workshops, afterschool programming, field trips, and more, all of which integrate some of the learning practices of making.
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PMs Requested: 2
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology was founded to address the need of Pennsylvania's Capital Region for increased educational opportunities in applied science and technology-related fields. The vision of HU is to provide academic programs at undergraduate and graduate levels using student-centered, technologically advanced, and experiential learning designs, with a focus on specific interdisciplinary competencies and strong linkages to career development. Advanced Manufacturing is one such program, which has experienced significant growth in enrollment over the past 4 years. HU is building a new facility to accommodate the expansion of the Advanced Manufacturing program, which will include a new makerspace, which will enable students to conduct experimental work and collaborate around projects outside of the lab where formal courses take place.
A MakerUSA Program Manager will work closely with a team at HU to design an inclusive, interdisciplinary makerspace that will complement the other spaces and areas in the new facility. This will include engaging with students throughout the process to ensure that the design of the makerspace is driven by student needs. A second PM would focus on community outreach and the development of new partnerships with community-based organizations, K-12 schools and local companies. These partnerships will support HU in its goals to increase community member participation in the makerspace, as diverse learners explore new technologies and develop skills that are also aligned with the region’s local industries and economic opportunity.
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PMs Requested: 1
Remake Learning is a free, peer network for educators and innovators in the greater Pittsburgh region. Since its launch in Pittsburgh, PA in 2016, Remake Learning Days (RLD) has become the world’s largest open house of maker learning having hosted a total of 2,350+ events and reaching 175,000 families. Remake Learning Days has taken off as Remake Learning Days Across America (RLDAA) throughout the state of PA and across the country. In 2022 Remake Learning launched Remake Learning Days Across America. This family-friendly, hands-on learning festival featured 1,400+ events across 17 regions. Events were hosted by libraries, museums, schools, tech centers, parks, community centers and more across six different learning themes — arts, maker, outdoor learning, science, technology and youth voice.
In Pennsylvania, the festival incorporates several unique learning initiatives like discoverED and the Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge. discoverED has become a PA statewide record-breaking design challenge with virtual partner-school classrooms enabling students and teachers and their partner peers to share maker pedagogies. To help Pennsylvania K-12 students learn how hands-on employability skills connect to future careers, Remake Learning Days has partnered with The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Career Ready PA to feature career readiness events in festivals across the Commonwealth for the Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge. This statewide partnership also includes developing relationships with companies and future employers.
As MakerUSA Program Manager would support the growth of Remake Learning Days Across America, working closely with a team to assist new and returning communities in hosting community-driven festivals that: (1) celebrate learning across a community in a joyful manner and showcase the great opportunities that exist in a region, (2) provide free hands-on learning opportunities for parents and caregivers to learn alongside their kids which then encourages curiosity, (3) introduce families to learning resources that exist in their own community, and (4) to ignite a conversation across diverse stakeholders on how we can provide relevant and engaging learning opportunities for all kids.
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Requested PMs: 2
The Urban Manufacturing Alliance (UMA) is a national coalition of manufacturing practitioners working together to grow more equitable and prosperous economies by building robust, environmentally sustainable, and inclusive urban manufacturing sectors. UMA advances place-based strategies that create more equitable communities by building wealth through employment, ownership, and entrepreneurship, and connects and convenes 900+ members across 250+ cities. UMA is currently growing our Local Branding Initiative (LBI) program, which involves working within individual communities, mapping resources, uncovering needs of maker-based businesses, developing feasibility studies for LBIs, as well as leading working groups to generate designs for new LBIs.
A partnership with MakerUSA will enable UMA to expand its entrepreneurial ecosystem development efforts by more deeply connecting our ecosystems with local makerspaces and community colleges. The partnership would increase the impacts maker education and makerspaces have on economic mobility for individuals and communities. Program Manager(s) will also enable UMA to scale its Local Branding Initiative by having makerspaces, including higher-ed based spaces, become a catalyst for new LBIs, especially in small cities and towns that currently do not have robust networks of entrepreneurial support.
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Requested PMs: 2
The University of Wyoming is leading a unique systems change effort designed to address access and opportunity gaps for the state's highly rural and underserved communities. With support through the Office of the Governor’s Wyoming Innovation Partnership, the university is partnering with the state’s nine community colleges to develop a state-wide ecosystem of makerspaces. This ecosystem will become connected through the Maker Access Pass, a collaborative, cross-institutional training system, through which community members can take more than 90 different workshops to grow their technical skills, ranging from 3D printing and laser cutting to sewing and soldering. This effort is led by the university’s flagship makerspace, the Innovation Wyrkshop, one of the Mountain West’s largest makerspaces. In alignment with its mission of “making for all,” the Wyrkshop is specifically focused on addressing systemic equity gaps in the region, which includes models to engage youth with disabilities and promoting a national dialogue around inclusivity in makerspaces.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would help develop the relationships, structure and processes needed to create this state-wide ecosystem of makerspaces, including exploring the role of local and state policy. The PM would coordinate program implementation as well as partner outreach, with a particular focus on small business and industry partnership. A second MakerUSA Program manager would concentrate on coordinating program implementation as well as partner outreach, with a particular focus on small businesses and entrepreneurs and actively engaging them within the state's network of makerspaces.
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PMs Requested: 1
The Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative (GCSC) was launched in 2011 by P&G and StrivePartnership in response to the accelerating demand for STEM jobs in the Greater Cincinnati region. GCSC is a non-profit that helps prepare students for their futures and to join Greater Cincinnati’s workforce through connected, robust STEM learning pathways, including through maker-centered learning programs, such as the 3D Printers Club and the STEM Bicycle Club. As a member of the University of Cincinnati Center for Youth Futures, GCSC is looking to build partnerships between the people and resources of the University and the GCSC STEM ecosystem throughout the region.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would serve an important role in forging these new collaborations and partnerships to create more opportunities for students to engage in inclusive maker education and pathways into making-related careers. This would include further development of an existing connection to the 1819 Innovation Hub, a 12,000-square-foot makerspace and microfactory facility for research, exploration, and creation of new ideas, objects, and products. The 1819 Innovation Hub has supported 70 startups and created 1,790 jobs in the region to date. The PM will support the development of new programming at 1819 will engage underserved K-16 students in new maker programming and experiences that develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
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Requested PMs: 1
Hocking College has a deep history of providing students with hands-on, real-world learning experiences in Southeast Ohio, and across Appalachia, for over 50 years. Hocking College is now supporting its students, the residents of Nelsonville and surrounding communities through the Hocking Makers Network. The Network aims to empower individuals to find their passions through the introduction to new tools and technology, approachable, affordable classes, and workshop membership opportunities to pursue their interests. The Network will create career pathways for participants into the regional workforce, higher education and entrepreneurship. Hocking College currently has several different spaces on-campus where students and community members can take courses and learn new skills, including the visual arts center with a glass and ceramics studio, wood lab and soon, a welding lab.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would support the further development of the Hocking Makers Network, including expanding the network to include new community-based and regional partners. The PM would support the development of new workforce pathways initiatives in collaboration with local industry, as well as partnerships that support makers in becoming entrepreneurs by being able to design, prototype and produce their products in the region. These efforts are part of a broader effort that Hocking College is undertaking as part of the local recovery community through an Appalachian Regional Commission INSPIRE Grant, which aims to address the substance use disorder crisis by creating local recovery ecosystems which lead to workforce entry or re-entry.
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Requested PMs: 1
Mantles and Makers is a capacity-building, non-profit organization that supports people and organizations serving Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) and other marginalized communities through technology and human capital. Fab House Cleveland located in the Glenville neighborhood, is a community-based innovation space and demonstration project incubated by Mantles and Makers.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would lay the groundwork for a workforce development program in collaboration with a local career development center in which community members have the opportunity to take courses at Fab House Cleveland aimed at preparing them for advanced manufacturing jobs in the region.
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Requested PMs: 1
Solar Education Project (SEP) is an education organization focused on using solar cookers to engage students in learning about environmental sustainability, energy and STEM more broadly. SEP works closely with formal and informal learning educators, providing programs, workshops and resources that they can use with their students and creating professional development opportunities. SEP has also developed strategic partnerships with community-based organizations in regions with severe deforestation, fuel scarcity and non-sustainable food supply. These efforts have led to participation in the United Nations High Level Political Forum and recent collaborations with the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh and the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. SEP also runs programs with the University of Notre Dame in Hinche Haiti and Sacramento City College Maker Space focusing on advocacy and education.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would contribute to the development of new curriculum, tutorials and resources about solar cooking, including a series of interactive, high-quality videos enabling educators and others to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic. A PM would also work with a team to develop new, creative approaches to sharing the work and impact of SEP and its many partners, including K-12 schools and higher education institutions.
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PMs Requested: 1
The Global Center for Digital Innovation (GCDI) is committed to serving the greater Chattanooga community by facilitating ideation, creation, and production through maker-centered learning. GCDI is a 15,000 sq ft digital fabrication lab and entrepreneurship center and is an innovative collaboration between Hamilton County Schools and Chattanooga State Community College. Hamilton County Schools is a K-12 public school district serving 45,000 students. Housed on the Chattanooga State campus, and led by a HCS teacher, the GCDI is the world’s first K-14 teaching and learning digital fabrication lab. The GCDI is part of a larger initiative in Hamilton County Schools called the Digital Fabrication Ecosystem. From artists and inventors to social change agents and future engineers, the GCDI provides the tools, space, and support to move people of all ages closer to their career goals.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would play a critical role in designing and delivering direct supports for student entrepreneurs and working alongside college students who are launching businesses. A PM would also support the GCDI leadership team in organizing K-12 field trips to the lab, in an effort to build stronger post-secondary enrollment pathways and maker career interest. The PM would engage directly with the tools and technology to ensure the lab remains fully operational, and would actively participate in developing and implementing programming and events that engage the broader community, including growing Inventanooga—a one-of-a-kind 6-12 student entrepreneurship showcase event. The PM would support continued partnership development with K-12 schools as well as other strategic partners, including regional higher education institutions.
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Requested PMs: 1
Public Education Foundation (PEF) is a non-profit organization that, for over 33 years, has provided professional development, research, resources, and support for students, teachers, and administrators in Hamilton County, Tennessee, and surrounding areas. The PEF Innovation Hub leads the largest FabLab network in the world. Anchored by 16 labs sponsored by Volkswagen Group of America, PEF supports a growing network that currently has 36 Fab Labs, all located in K-12 public schools. PEF has designed an innovative model for embedding the labs into the learning experiences of all students, within a diverse range of schools serving communities across southeast Tennessee. This includes hosting the annual Chattanooga Fab Institute, a 3-day digital fabrication conference presented by Public Education Foundation and Hamilton County Schools that offers educators an opportunity to engage in authentic experiences with 3D printing, laser engraving/cutting, vinyl cutting, CNC routing and micro-computing.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would continue growing community partnerships across the region. The Fab Labs support workforce development opportunities for students, but what is currently missing are strong relationships with the rich collection of potential industry partners in the region to fully realize this potential. Additionally, a PM will focus on building a network of entrepreneurial initiatives for students (grades 6-12) and engage directly with the lead teachers in the Fab Labs to provide site-based tech training and coaching.
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Requested PMs: 2
The Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Knoxville serves as a principal provider of skilled workforce development throughout east Tennessee. TCAT is actively exploring how to expand maker experiences for its students, including through the establishment of a new makerspace. With strong and deep relationships with local chambers of commerce, employers and key industry leaders, a makerspace would create additional opportunities for students to engage in hands-on real-world problem solving in collaboration with local businesses.
A MakerUSA Program Manager will bring both capacity and expertise to makerspace design efforts, including positioning TCAT to engage the local community in a comprehensive design and planning process. This would include implementing a community-driven design process, which would lead to the development of a business plan for a new makerspace and the initial projects to develop the new space and associated programming. A second MakerUSA Program Manager could focus on developing and growing key partnerships with community stakeholders once the space is up and running.
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PMs Requested: 1
Workforce Mid-South connects job seekers and employers, providing skills training and work opportunities for youth and adults, analyzing and sharing data to educate the public on workforce needs, and aligning community partners around workforce initiatives to help make Greater Memphis a place of economic opportunity for all. This includes supporting residents and businesses in Shelby, Fayette, Lauderdale and Tipton Counties in West Tennessee. Recognizing the history of inequality and racism that continues to create challenges for many individuals to develop the skills and experiences they need to pursue jobs that lead to long-term careers, Workforce Mid-South has developed a community impact framework which re-envisions workforce development as radical community healing.This approach centers integrated services and collaboration and requires the development of practices, pedagogy, programs, and policies that promote radical community healing.
The Gen-Ren Project (Generation Renaissance), focused on under-resourced middle school students and opportunity youth 16-24, leverages this framework to support participants in developing maker and entrepreneurial mindsets, while engaging in innovative problem solving in their own communities. A MakerUSA Program Manager would support the development of a maker and entrepreneurial ecosystem, which centers on radical community healing, including the implementation of the Gen-Ren Project. This includes designing new maker education programming/space (or plugging into existing local programs) that can become a core feature of a new innovation hub that is being developed specifically in support of career pathways for opportunity youth. The design would look to fuse maker education experiences with entrepreneurship training as well, in an effort to support not only direct workforce pathways but new business creation and local innovation. This work would also include developing new partnerships and collaborations with community organizations and institutions that are taking complementary approaches to the goals of this maker ecosystem framework.
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PMs Requested: 3
Navajo Technical University is the largest tribal university in the country. The institution centers its programming on the Diné culture and language, while preparing students for the future. Through the teachings of Nitsáhákees (thinking), Náhátá (planning), Iiná (implementing), and Siihasin (reflection), students acquire quality education in diverse fields, while preserving cultural values. NTU’s electrical and industrial engineering programs are ABET accredited, making it the first tribal college to offer engineering programs accredited by this internationally recognized commission. NTU serves as a resource and hub for the broader Navajo Nation community, and provides opportunities for students to participate in culturally-driven, hands-on STEM experiences that lower barriers for them to attend and graduate NTU. Examples include the Diné Maker Nation Faire, a community event focused on celebrating the rich history of making in Navajo culture and current innovations being developed on Navajo Nation today; and Project Let’s Talk Code, an NSF funded project focused on introducing Computer Science (CS) to students in the Navajo Nation (NN) tribal region in Arizona and New Mexico using approaches that are culturally rooted real-world examples that are contextualized in the Navajo culture.
MakerUSA Program Manager(s) would support the maker projects above, which focus on supporting students on campus through engaging learning experiences that can significantly contribute to retention, graduation and pathways to careers of their choosing. Driven by systemic inequities and injustices, NTU’s relatively low graduation rate of 14% is an ongoing challenge, and a PM would focus on developing student support models that could strengthen pathways to enrollment and graduation as well as entry into the university’s graduate degree programs in STEM. A PM would also develop new partnerships with other organizations on the Navajo Nation to support the growing interest in entrepreneurship from students, including in STEM fields.
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PMs Requested: 1
Item descriptionThe New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT) is one of the nation’s top STEM schools, while serving the rural and economically challenged Socorro region. NMT was ranked #6 in Public Colleges in 2022 by U.S. News and World Report and considered the #1 public university in America for B.S. graduates to go on and earn a Ph.D. by the National Science Foundation. Over 30% of the Socorro population lives below the poverty line, and NMT is continuing to identify innovative ways for STEM to drive economic mobility. NMT aims to develop a new community-based makerspace that will create maker experiences for NMT students as well as local K-12 students and community members of all ages. The new makerspace aligns with NMT’s strategic goal of energizing the local community around STEM pathways, and would support the “100% Socorro” initiative that aims to ensure 100% of Socorro County residents have access to services needed to survive and thrive.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would have a leadership role in the planning and implementation of this new makerspace, including leading an inclusive decision-making framework that will engage community voice throughout development. The PM would lead on designing and implementing broader NMT student outreach efforts to increase K-12, undergraduate and graduate student engagement in NMT’s current maker programming, while designing new student leadership opportunities via the new space. The PM will explore how to connect the new makerspace with Socorro’s Family Center and create one-stop facilitates for alleviating food insecurity, information on medical and behavioral health, and job training services for parents (among other services) combined with a makerspace that cultivates imagination and STEM career pathways.
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Requested PMs: 2
Located just outside of New York City, Rockland Community College serves a diverse community, including a large number of immigrant families and English language learners. Rockland has recently launched a new makerspace and innovation center and is actively preparing to expand the use of the space to support workforce preparedness skill development as well as entrepreneurship pathways. Through its 3D Printer Center, students, faculty and local entrepreneurs are now learning the basics of 3D design and printing and developing high-end product prototypes.
MakerUSA Program Managers would collaborate with the team at Rockland to leverage additional space that has already been secured to develop new maker programming, which will include not only digital fabrication, but also arts-based making, including a recording studio for podcasting and music. Program Managers would also explore how microcredentials could become integrated into the new maker programs, while providing individual coaching and support for Rockland's student makers.
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Requested PMs: 2
Fab Lab Tulsa is a not-for-profit makerspace located in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood of Tulsa. Its mission is to empower the community through education, community, workforce, and business programming that teaches innovation, design-thinking, problem-solving and change-making, together with open and equitable access to 21st Century digital fabrication tools, equipment, and technology. Fab Lab Tulsa opened its first 3,600 square foot facility in 2011. Due to the rapid growth of programming over the past 10 years, it conducted a feasibility study and strategic planning process which revealed a significant need for additional resources, support, and space to engage more makers, problem-solvers, and innovators locally. The Fab Lab recently expanded its space and the technology and equipment available by constructing a new 14,000 square foot facility which opened in April 2022. This vibrant and inclusive space features a larger main studio, a larger wood shop, a new metal shop, and two dedicated learning spaces for programs. The next critical step is to add the organizational capacity and expertise needed to empower the current and future makers of Tulsa, specifically by expanding its community programming in education and workforce.
MakerUSA Program Managers will work closely with the Fab Lab Tulsa team to further develop an interdisciplinary program focused on engaging K-12 students in interactive STEM learning experiences. An additional aim will be to create continued pathways for students to enroll in local higher education and workforce development programs, which build on the interests, skills, and experiences they have developed through programs at the Fab Lab Tulsa. PMs will develop important partnerships and collaboration with local and rural K-12 schools, after school program providers and related interest groups and youth organizations.
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Requested PMs: 1
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology was founded more than 130 years ago to provide instruction in the region’s primary industry, mining. Today, South Dakota Mines has evolved into one of the leading science and engineering universities in the region. With more than 20 bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), South Dakota Mines’ programs emphasize hands-on learning in makerspaces and labs that feature the same equipment that students will use in their professional careers after they graduate. The makerspace within the newly renovated Deveraux Library is a collaborative environment to spark making, learning, exploring, and sharing ideas. Students who have never worked with their hands or worked creatively to make something may feel intimidated by department spaces like the Mechanical Engineering Machine Shop or the Metallurgical Engineering Foundry. The SD Mines Makerspace fosters innovation through hands-on experimentation, especially, for students who have yet to have these experiences.
A MakerUSA Program Manager will work closely with department-specific project spaces so that students can take skills they acquire in the SD Mines Makerspace to more advanced settings, such as the Blacksmithing Club, Glassblowing, Foundry, Machine Shop, or student engineering competition teams. A PM will support the growth of individual student makers as they explore different approaches to making and work on projects by connecting them to resources and individuals that can support their work. This includes forming new connections with entrepreneurship-supporting organizations and/or resources in our region and nationally.
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Requested PMs: 1
Patrick & Henry Community College’s Dalton IDEA (Innovate, Design, Engineer, and Accelerate) Center serves as a dynamic innovation entrepreneurship hub for students, small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs from the broader community. The Fab Lab located within the IDEA Center provides the space, technology and supportive environment for individuals to design and prototype products, projects and solutions. Through a partnership with the Martinsville Henry County Chamber of Commerce, the IDEA Center has also provided entrepreneurial training for StartUp Martinsville Henry County for more than 5 years. Through these and other workforce, economic and community development related efforts, the College has focused on equitable job and wealth creation across the community.
A MakerUSA Program Manager would support the growth of a sustainable maker ecosystem across Henry County, including by forming new partnerships that enable the expansion of digital fabrication education, and entrepreneurship and workforce pathways for Patrick & Henry students. This includes supporting new partnership formation with local companies, K-12 schools, and economic development organizations. With the growing interest in the College’s IDEA Center from other institutions, the Program Manager would also develop resources and approaches to sharing best practices and key elements of this model with other regions.
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