The Innovative Technologies Center (ITC) of National Park College (NPC) welcomed faculty,
staff, students, and the community for the grand opening of the Makerspace. All in
attendance watched as a piece of lumber was cut, opposed to the traditional ribbon
cutting, which will be used to build a birdhouse. Attendees were also asked to sign
a board to commemorate the event.
Dr. John Hogan, President of NPC, said the Makerspace was a place for the community
to be engaged, people of all ages, with higher education. The Makerspace gives Garland
County an opportunity to “keep people here in our community to earn money, produce
wealth, and improve the quality of life,” said Hogan.
Dr. Julian Post, Makerspace Program Coordinator states “the Makerspace is an important
tool for NPC for recruitment and retention.” He believes that not only will the community
benefit but the K12 audience as well.
Hot Springs school district had several students in attendance with different projects
they were working on completing
Marley Archie of Hot Springs School is building a 3D printer. She has built the basic
framework and now looks forward to coding the system. Once coding is completed the
printer “will allow printing of small to medium objects.” Archie is drawn to the challenge
of problem-solving, critical thinking and working with her hands.
Mr. Ray, a therapist at Hot Springs Junior Academy (HSJA), challenged students to
make an affordable system to help students concentrate on rehabilitation and training.
Isaac, an HSJA student, explained the end goal is to have a Bluetooth module connected
to a piece of equipment which in turns controls the students viewing device such as
a phone. “The purpose is to control the amount of student’s exercise.” If a stationary
bike was hooked up to the module and coded to stay between 
40-50 rotations per minute (rpm), anytime the bike went above or below those rpm requirements,
the student’s device would be affected.
Dr. Post introduced the ITC Makers Group officers which include Cheyenne Cloud, president,
Andrew Gobel, vice president, Veronica Lynch, secretary and Kelly Currington, treasurer.
These students volunteer their time to help run the Makerspace. They plan to bring
Makerspace to campus as part of their mission. “They may grab a set of drones, take
them to campus, and offer drone racing between classes,” Post states.
Jason Mutschall, NPC computer programming student, was a work-study last semester
at ITC. He stated that his time as a work-study was spent learning. It was his first
experience with 3D printers, virtual reality, the industrial tools, and even some
of the power tools. Mutschall goes on to state that he plans to use what he learned
and apply his knowledge to the emerging field of using virtual reality in education.
His hopes are to program for virtual reality. “That wasn’t something I had thought
about until coming here,” said Mutschall.
