Sierra College Makerspace and Entrepreneurship Center Opening April 2022 on the Rocklin Campus
Sierra College recently unveiled the Sierra College Makerspace and Entrepreneurship Center on its Rocklin Campus as a core element of its Applied Technology Center. The space will be used by students and faculty in Robotics and the i3 program. Small events and demonstrations will occur during the 2021-22 fall semester. The new makerspace will be fully equipped and available for faculty and students throughout the college during the Spring 2022 semester.
The college’s three locations have utilized on- and off-campus makerspaces over the past five years to help students and faculty grow the entrepreneurial mindset as a way to develop creative, passionate, curious and persistent life-long learners and teachers. Sierra College has been an active member of the “CCC Maker” network among California community colleges and is one of four colleges selected to develop a new program shaping the future of invention education with an emphasis on equity—the Invention and Inclusive Innovation Learning Community (i3).
”The new Sierra College Makerspace and Entrepreneurship Center is designed as a collaborative, open innovation space that offers advanced equipment for making, as well as opportunities for gathering and knowledge sharing,” said Amy Schulz, Dean of Business and Technology at Sierra College. “We are building a dynamic space so our students, faculty, staff, and community and business partners can come together and build projects, businesses, and opportunities, together.”
The next generation makerspace will also have unique features in its design and programming. With a strong focus on access and equity, the makerspace will prioritize use by Sierra College faculty, students and staff and seek to engage a broader and more diverse cohort of individuals from the campus community. The makerspace is envisioned as an opportunity to extend and enhance interdisciplinary learning among a wide range of Sierra College departments and programs, including those that have not utilized makerspaces in the past. The college will continue to seek limited external partnerships that further our educational programs or bolster invention efforts lead by students, faculty or staff.
This on-campus, student-focused facility will enable Sierra College to provide an exciting, next-generation makerspace that provides broad and equitable access for our students, faculty and staff and builds our culture of teaching and learning in innovation, invention and entrepreneurship.
About Sierra College
Sierra College District is rising to the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3200 square miles of Northern CA with campuses in Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four-year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills. Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at www.sierracollege.edu