The first of its kind in Central Alberta, Red Deer College’s Makerspace includes bright and spacious workspaces and free access to a wide variety of high and low tech maker equipment.
On Oct. 24th Red Deer College leaders, faculty, staff, students and community members celebrated the official opening of a fully renovated and expanded Makerspace in the College’s Library Information Common.
“At Red Deer College, we pride ourselves on providing experiential learning opportunities for our students, and the Makerspace is another extension of this,” said Steven Lane, associate vice president academic.
Some of the things people saw were 3D printers, a button maker machine, electronic circuits and more.
“Perhaps one dimension of the maker culture is a recovery of craft as an important hands on skill set,” said Lane.
Makers are able to create prototypes, film and edit videos, record and mix audio as well as design graphics.
The College’s original Makerspace was first created in 2015 and has since grown in popularity and demand as more students and community members become aware of the benefits of using the space.
“Students have always used our library to create and collaborate, and the addition of the Makerspace adds a new but complementary element to our existing services,” said Kristine Plastow, director of the Library Information Common.
She said the Makerspace is a place where people can gather to envision and create, while sharing ideas, knowledge and equipment.
“While the space is primarily for students working on their curriculum and their assignments, the Makerspace is also open to the Central Alberta community just as our entire library is,” she said.
The renovation and expansion of RDC’s Makerspace was made possible through the Government of Canada’s Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) grant with matching investment by Red Deer College.
carlie.connolly@reddeerexpress.com
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