Sierra College earns $350,000 Makerspace grant

Congratulations!

Dominic Gutierrez, Sierra Makerspaces Director, will be the liaison between Sierra College and the makerspaces, responsible for engaging students and faculty in the maker community.

Sierra College was awarded a $350,000 California Community College Maker Grant, renewable for a second year, from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.

Sierra College was one of 24 colleges to receive a grant to create an inclusive makerspace community, provide internships, and develop curriculum to prepare students with innovation and entrepreneurial skills to thrive in the regional economy.

The Curious Forge was started in Grass Valley in 2011, with equipment for metal working, woodworking, clay work, sewing textiles, electronics and making jewelry used by over 70 creative, community minded artists, engineer and crafts people, said Liam Ellerby, Founder.

“We are in the process of moving into a new 20,000 sq. ft. space and this grant will help connect Sierra College students to hands-on skills classes and equipment that can expand learning opportunities,” Ellerby said. “Our partnership with the Nevada School for the Arts will also connect our space with secondary students.”

As part of the initiative, Sierra College will be collaborating with other community colleges, sharing best practices to prepare students for the innovation economy and developing a model for creating college makerspace communities, said Willy Duncan, Sierra College Superintendent/President.

“We’ve made a conscious decision to partner with community makerspaces, such as Hacker Lab in Rocklin, Curious Forge in Grass Valley, and Truckee Roundhouse in Truckee, that are near our campuses and reflect the unique culture, interests and businesses in each part of the region,” said Duncan.

The college has hired Dominic Felipe Gutierrez as the Sierra Makerspaces Director to be the liaison between the campuses and the makerspaces.

“Engaging community college students and faculty in makerspaces, and growing the maker and entrepreneurial mindset to develop creative, passionate, curious and persistent life-long learners and educators, is essential to complement existing college programs,” said Gutierrez. “The skills needed by employers are changing so rapidly that Sierra College is boldly embracing this initiative to transform what we teach and how we teach.”

Eric Ullrich, Co-Founder, Hacker Lab in Rocklin, Sacramento and Rancho Cordova, believes the synergy of the three makerspaces, linked through the college, will generate economic growth in the region.

“Programs like Hacker Lab’s Start Up Hustle, bring together students, faculty, entrepreneurs and local businesses to develop entrepreneurial startup skills,” said Ullrich. “The CCC Maker funding will build the internal capacity of each makerspace to prepare student leaders, teach in-demand skills, develop e-commerce and physical pop-up shops, and expand business partnerships to support internships.”

Truckee Roundhouse, located at the Truckee Airport, opened in December 2016 and offers wood, metal, ceramics, textiles and technology shops, according to Morgan Goodwin, Co-Founder and Mayor of Truckee. “We are a community-oriented shop that offers benefits for everyone,” said Goodwin. “By engaging Sierra College students and faculty, and expanding learning through this creative space, the Truckee Roundhouse will offer more (Science, Techology, Engineering and Math) and arts education, blending skills and technologies to create the entrepreneurs of the future.”

Source: Sierra College