The University of Texas at Arlington was the only Texas school in attendance at the recent “Nation of Makers” meeting at the White House.
UTA was one of nine universities at the gathering of nearly 200 makerspace leaders at the White House event sponsored by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the university said in a release.
Katie Musick Peery, director of the UTA Libraries’ FabLab attended the event that focused on leaders who organize makerspace events nationwide. Makerspaces are community-oriented work spaces where people with interests in computers, machines, technology, science, digital art, and other areas can meet, and collaborate on projects.
“The FabLab and UTA Libraries have the potential to impact the public and private sector in very tangible ways and we are honored to have been recognized with a private invitation to the White House.”
Katie Musick Peery
“Our students, faculty and staff have leveraged the open access to technology the UTA FabLab provides to further their personal, academic and professional endeavors,” Peery said in a release. “The FabLab and UTA Libraries have the potential to impact the public and private sector in very tangible ways and we are honored to have been recognized with a private invitation to the White House.”
UTA’s FabLab is in the school’s Central Library, and is the first FabLab affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at a Texas University. The Fab Labs began as an outreach program from the Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT.
“Through the university’s FabLab, students have access to an environment that enhances their creative spirit and provides the tools they need to have a competitive edge in the job market of tomorrow,” said U.S. Rep. Mark Veasey, D-Fort Worth.
Some of the topics reportedly discussed at the roundtable were legal structures for nonprofit organizations, ways to measure benefits to a community, how to cope with burnout, devices for maintaining diversity and inclusion, and how to develop mentorships.
Other universities that joined UTA at the Aug. 24 event were Stanford University, Boston University and Rutgers.
You can read more about the UTA FabLab and makerspace experience here. To read more about the White House “Nation of Makers” initiative, read here.
Additional Makerspace Reading:
Not Sure Which DFW Makerspace Is Right For You? Here’s Your Guide
If You Can Dream It, You Can Make It at the Dallas Makerspace
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