Between HS Robotics Clubs, Justice Involved Youth STEAM Programs, Middle School Drone Building Workshops, and other art & tech initiatives – PCC began looking for a dedicated space to house these community-oriented programs in 2019.
As someone already involved in managing existing makerspaces & community programming, I was tapped to convert an old classroom into a dedicated community makerspace. After noise, hvac, & electrical assessments, the space was stripped & rewired to support our functions. The lab was equipped with 3D printers, a laser cutter, a CNC router, soldering stations, workbench tools, two VR stations, and a stopmotion animation station.
We began hiring lab staff & migrating existing programming over to the space in early 2020. We held our open house 1-month before being shut down by Covid. Hopefully, the space and programs will resume when campus reopens. In the interim, 3d Printers & laser cutter technology was loaned out to PDXHackerspace to support their current PPE efforts.