Press Release

The University of Maryland Launches Region’s First MakerBot Innovation Center

Exemplifies growth of makerspaces and 3-D printing at UMD and other top universities

MEDIA ADVISORY  April 21, 2015

CONTACT:
Elise Carbonaro
301 405 6501
ecarbo@umd.edu

COLLEGE PARK, MD --  On April 23, 2015, at 2 p.m. the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering will officially open a MakerBot Innovation Center where students and faculty from across UMD, as well as the local business community, will be able to design, create and collaborate on tomorrow’s innovations. UMD’s center is the first MakerBot Innovation Center in the region; the first at a Big Ten school; and the 6th university MakerBot Innovation Center in the world. Starting in the fall of 2015, every freshman entering the Clark School will use the MakerBot Innovation Center as part of the required intro to engineering course (ENES100).

The launch event will be followed by an adjacent showcase of innovations created by UMD faculty and students using 3-D printers (including vascular grafts, and robot and car parts). Later that same day CEO of Local Motors, Inc. Jay Rogers will give a lecture entitled “Welcome to the Third Industrial Revolution - Local Motors and the 3-D Printed Car.” More event information and directions available below and at: http://ter.ps/MakerBot. These events are part of UMD’s 30 Days of EnTERPreneurship.

Making spaces for a new revolution in higher education

In recent years UMD and other leading universities have been rapidly creating makerspaces and heavily investing in 3D printers and scanners. These capabilities are integrated not only in engineering, but increasingly across many other academic fields and also in libraries and other shared university spaces.  The Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition by the New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE highlights the growing makerspace trend. On page 7, for example, it says: “… trending strongly for leaders especially is the broad integration of creative processes and hands-on learning exemplified by the growing interest in makerspaces.” Universities’ efforts in recent years to take advantage of the educational and innovational power of makerspaces for faculty and students in almost every field has coincided with an explosive growth in 3-D printing technology that has yielded equipment that is faster, more precise and less costly.

UMD’s new MakerBot Innovation Center is now the university’s largest makerspace. And the new center’s 48 MakerBot printers more than double the number of 3-D printers on-campus, bringing the total to more than 90. Location is the Technology Advancement Program (TAP) building (387), on the first floor next to the Startup Shell space. UMD’s ongoing commitment in this area is also seen in plans for the new Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Innovation, which when built will feature state-of-the-art makerspaces. 

In makerspaces around campus, UMD faculty, staff and students have already been turning inspirations into ideas, and turning ideas into new innovations using 3-D printers, examples include: vascular grafts and prosthetics, wearable electronics, hovercrafts, parts for robots and cars, and models of fossils and meteorites. UMD students alumni also are designing and building their own new types of 3-D printers. One alumnus will be demonstrating his printer.

A MakerBot Innovation Center is a centralized, scalable 3-D printing solution that empowers the University of Maryland to innovate faster, collaborate more, and be more competitive. It is a space for learning techniques and hands on experiences. The center boosts innovation by building capability while concentrating resources and knowledge. By cultivating leadership in desktop 3-D printing, it will also help the university build a relationship with the surrounding business, military, government, and K-12 communities.

When & Where:
Thursday, April 23, 2015

  • 2:00 pm: UMD MakerBot Innovation Center Launch: first floor, Technology Advancement Program Building
  • 3:00 pm: 3-D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Showcase: Rotunda, Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building
  • 5:00 pm: Whiting-Turner Business & Entrepreneurial Lecture by Jay Rogers, Local Motors Co-Founder and CEO: “Welcome to the Third Industrial Revolution – Local Motors and the 3-D Printed Car”

Who:

  • Mary Ann Rankin, Ph.D., Provost, University of Maryland
  • Darryll Pines, Ph.D., Dean and Nariman Farvardin Professor of Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering
  • Jonathan Jaglom, Chief Executive Officer, MakerBot
  • Michael Galiazzo, President, Regional Manufacturing Institute

 

 

About the A. James Clark School of Engineering

The University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering is a premier program, ranked among the top 20 in the world. Located just a few miles from Washington, D.C., the Clark School is at the center of a constellation of high-tech companies and federal laboratories, offering students and faculty access to unique professional opportunities.

Our broad spectrum of academic programs, including the world’s only accredited undergraduate fire protection engineering program, is complemented by a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, early hands-on educational experiences, and participation in national and international competitions.

The Clark School is leading research advancements in aerospace, bioengineering, robotics, nanotechnology, disaster resilience, energy and sustainability, and cybersecurity. From the universal product code to satellite radio, SMS text messaging to the implantable insulin pump, our students, faculty, and alumni are engineering life-changing innovations for millions. Learn more at www.eng.umd.edu.