In what I believe is a first in New Hampshire and a rarity overall, Amherst, a well-off town just west of Nashua, has opened a public makerspace in its Middle School. It’s being run under the auspices of the town recreation department, which is cool, and is available after school and on weekends.
Details are here on the Amherst Rec page:
AMS’s new Innovation and Design wing currently features two state of the art computer labs, two Art focused classrooms and pottery kiln, a large fully outfitted Woodshop, and a Culinary Arts/Sewing classroom. They also have two new 3D printers, stained glass making supplies, and 24 self-contained Arduino microcontroller/electronics kits. Instructors can freely use AMS’s resources but must provide their own supplies and consumables. AMS’s lab space can also be booked by local businesses for corporate training sessions and product demonstrations. Our facilities offer two computer labs with 27 computers each, a large auditorium with seating for 200, a PA system, Projector and 10ft screen. In addition, we have parking, Wifi, bathroom facilities and handicap access. (Please click on the “Maker Space Press Release” below for complete information).
This strikes me as a really innovative way to get more use out of public school buildings.
Meanwhile, Adam Shrey of Nashua’s MakeIt Labs, the first makerspace in the state, says on his Facebook page that he’s going to discuss the program withthe The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy in D.C.
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