How to engage today's students as innovators in the future of manufacturing?

Students new to a makerspace face an intimidating learning curve, and this can discourage participation. Getting students up to speed with basic skills, especially those that are inherently safe and engaging will be necessary to grow the maker culture (beyond the hardcore devotees) at any institution.

Within both K12 and higher education, coursework must foster creativity, problem solving, and innovation. We can accomplish this goal through aligning course activities with the maker philosophy.

The challenge that UD will address is setting up and maintaining an undergraduate maker space. Although we are still learning, we hope to share some best practices that have worked for us with the community.

Our biggest issue is encouraging collaboration across disciplines, and sharing resources. After attending the Innovation Summit in October, I heard that many schools were facing the same problem, and I'd like to contribute our proposed solutions, so that others can follow along with our progress.