On Wednesday, April 6, over one hundred people including students, faculty, leadership, staff, community members, and members of the SMCCD District Board of Trustees gathered for the Base11-Skyline College partnership launch event in Building 6. The Base11 STEM Revolution is designed to empower students to become leaders and entrepreneurs of the 21st Century in Science Technology Engineering & Math, and Skyline College is the newest partner to join the movement. A central part of the initiative is Skyline College’s new Fabrication Laboratory and Innovation Center, an MIT-based Fab Lab donated by Base11 to help Skyline College students and community members shape their dreams and ideas into viable products and business opportunities.
Base11 Project Director Landon Taylor presented the vision and mission for Base11 and the STEM Revolution. Mr. Taylor offered inspiring words on the value of the Skyline College partnership and the goal to get 1000 students into the “Victory Circle.” Base11’s vision of the circle encompasses transfer to a University, getting a STEM job, and starting a STEM business. Landon also introduced three flagship programs that will move Skyline College students into the Victory Circle: (1) Residency-based Fellowships, (2) STEM Entrepreneur Accelerator Program and Fab Lab Innovation Center, and (3) a Workforce Development Program. Skyline College Vice President, Dr. Sarah Perkins, SMT Dean Ray Hernandez, and Engineering and Computer Science Professor Nick Langhoff also spoke on the impact the partnership and the Fab Lab has on Skyline College. They each expressed their excitement, gratitude, and vision for the new opportunities now possible to enhance our STEM programs and to bridge STEM education and Entrepreneurship for Skyline College students and community members.
During the ceremony, Landon Taylor and Skyline College President, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud announced and celebrated four Skyline College students selected for the Base11 Summer 2016 Fellowships. Let’s give a big round of applause to students Alina Rai, Daniel Powers, Robert O’Leary, and Wai Hnin Oo. This summer they will head off to explore and research at prestigious institutions including CalTech, UC Irvine, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Congratulations to them on their outstanding achievement!
The event concluded with a ribbon cutting and open house tour of Skyline College’s brand new state-of-the-art Fabrication Laboratory and Innovation Center, a cornerstone of the Base11-Skyline College partnership. President Stanback Stroud led the ribbon cutting ceremony and welcomed the Skyline College community into the new laboratory. There was magic in the air as the space was abuzz with students and members of the Skyline College community mingling and exploring the new facility. Event guests looked on as students from the Skyline College Engineering and Robotics Club led demonstrations with cutting edge Fab Lab equipment including advanced manufacturing, rapid prototyping techniques, and robotics. Excited conversations filled the room with dreams and visions of the possibilities this new Maker Space and Innovation Center provides the campus and community.
The partnership launch event was a huge success due to the dedication and hard work of a diverse group of individuals from throughout the district, Base11, and industry partners. A huge thank you to President Stanback Stroud and Vice President Perkins, Executive Vice Chancellor Kathy Blackwood and Vice Chancellors Eugene Whitlock and Jose Nuñez, Board of Trustees President Dave Mandelkern and member Maurice Goodman, Base11 Project Director Landon Taylor and Marketing Director Cindy Santos-Mendoza, Incite Focus Director and “Fab Lab Guru” Blair Evans, Skyline College Director of Marketing and Public Relations Cherie Colin, SMCCD Facilities Project Manager Karen Pinkham, Science Math Technology Dean Ray Hernandez, Engineering and Computer Science Professor Nick Langhoff, and the students from the Engineering and Robotics Club at Skyline College.
The Fab Lab Innovation Center is a huge new resource for the Skyline College community, and will also be open to the public in the near future. With support from Base11, Skyline College will be rolling out a 16-week Entrepreneurial course starting this Fall 2016. For further information about accessing the Fabrication Laboratory, contact Professor Nick Langhoff at (650) 738-4249 or langhoffn@smccd.edu.
Article by Nick Langhoff
