HARRISON, Ark. (AP) - Some Harrison High School students are hoping to make a Makerspace a real space in town.
The students - senior Jonathan Porras, junior Spencer Hinrichs and sophomores Evan Angle, Nathaniel Bright and Sean Purdy - are currently involved in a three-part challenge they hope will result in a $20,000 prize to be used for a Makerspace in Harrison.
Makerspaces, sometimes referred to as fablabs, are creative do-it-yourself spaces where people can gather to create, invent and learn. Makerspaces often have such equipment as 3D printers, software, electronics and craft and hardware supplies and tools.
According to the Makerspace website, “A Makerspace is the perfect solution for many makers today. While you can get a lot done in a fully-decked out shop, you’ll always have trouble making space for the next great tool you need. And the one thing you really miss out on in a personal shop is the collaboration with other makers. A Makerspace provides you with the best of both worlds.”
The Harrison students, who are members of the high school’s Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) class, explained that they are competing against 600 other school from around the country to design a Makerspace.
While the junior high school cafeteria, which once served as a National Guard armory, is being considered as a possible site for a Makerspace, no decisions have yet been made as to where Harrison’s Makerspace will be located.
The Harrison Daily (https://bit.ly/26ud6I6 ) reports that making the competition even more challenging for the Harrison students is the fact that they are going up against not only other high school students, but in some cases, college students and even professionals. Should they survive the second round, they will go to New York this summer to the World Makers Fair.
“Harrison has never had anything like this before,” Purdy said.
The students acknowledged that, for some or all of them, a Makerspace might not become a reality until after they leave for college. They preferred to look at the big picture.
It was a cliché maybe, they said, but children are our future.
“This town is known as a small rural community, but it has a lot of potential,” Purdy said.
A Harrison Makerspace, which would be the second in Arkansas, would also have the potential to draw in people from other communities. EAST facilitator Anthony Bright said it would not be just a tourist draw, but a way for Harrison to get into the 21st Century.
“It would be sparking imaginations in the Ozarks,” Bright said. “We need to be a community that grabs for it.”
Angle allowed himself to fantasize a bit.
“How amazing would it be to become the next Silicon Valley?” he asked.
The students were aware that $20,000 would not go very far in establishing a Makerspace. They eventually want to partner with as many businesses in the community as possible.
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Information from: Harrison Daily Times, https://www.harrisondaily.com
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