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Broadening Participation Through Engagement in the Maker Space Movement

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Conference

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Seattle, Washington

Publication Date

June 14, 2015

Start Date

June 14, 2015

End Date

June 17, 2015

ISBN

978-0-692-50180-1

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division – Tactical Approaches to Entrepreneurship Education

Tagged Division

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

15

Page Numbers

26.295.1 - 26.295.15

DOI

10.18260/p.23634

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/23634

Download Count

564

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Paper Authors

biography

Edward Pines New Mexico State University

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Edward Pines is Department Head and Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at New Mexico State University. He is a co-team leader of NMSU's Pathways to Innovation team and is serves on the Faculty Advisory Board for NMSU Engineering's Aggie Innovation Space.

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biography

Patricia A. Sullivan New Mexico State University

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Patricia A. Sullivan serves as Associate Dean for Outreach and Public Service and is Director of the Engineering New Mexico Resource Network in the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University. She received her PhD in industrial engineering and has over 31 years’ experience directing statewide engineering outreach services that include technical engineering business assistance, professional development, and educational outreach programs. She is co-PI for a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to broaden participation among minority engineering students through engagement in innovation and entrepreneurship and a co-PI for an i6 Challenge grant through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to foster regional economic development through innovation and new business start-ups. She is institutional integrator for the Partnership for the Advancement of Engineering Education (PACE) at NMSU. She is also co-lead for a NSF funded Pathways to Innovation cohort at NMSU with a focus on integrating innovation and entrepreneurship into the engineering curriculum through a blending of industry and educational experiences. Patricia serves as a commissioner for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), is a member of the executive committee for the NM Consortia for Energy Workforce Development, a member of the board of directors for BEST Robotics Inc., and a member of the board of directors for Enchantment Land Certified Development Company (ELCDC – a program that certifies SBA 504 loans that foster economic development.) She has extensive experience in economic development particularly efforts that build on collaborative partnerships with business and industry, government agencies, and other stake-holders to enhance employment opportunities for engineering students.

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Luke Nogales New Mexico State University

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Luke Nogales loves to help innovators reach their potential. Luke is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Technology department at New Mexico State University (NMSU) and an Enterprise Advisor at NMSU’s on-campus incubator, the Arrowhead Center. He teaches core mechanical engineering technology courses and is developing innovation and product development curriculum for the College of Engineering and the College of Business. Prior to working at NMSU, Luke worked as an innovator at Procter & Gamble. He helped develop new products and businesses for a variety of markets, ranging from eco-conscious North Americans to bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers in the developing world. Luke has a BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology from NMSU and an MS in Product Design and Development from Northwestern University.

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Abstract

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

Pines, E., & Sullivan, P. A., & Nogales, L. (2015, June), Broadening Participation Through Engagement in the Maker Space Movement Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.23634

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