The lab was fortunate to be part of the inaugural cohort of schools, that pledged support for the White House, Nation of Makers initiative. The Nation of Makers is a new organization coming together to continue the work that President Obama started. We are thrilled to pledge our support to the organization, with this letter of support.
Dear Nation of Makers,
As the world's first 3D Printing Lab in a Business School, we are delighted to endorse and support the further development of the Maker Movement.
The continued cultivation of a Nation of Makers is an important and tangible development of President Obama's visionary initiative. We strongly believe that this movement will help usher in a new economic era in which a growing number of people will be able to turn their ideas into objects. This democratization of making will create new opportunities in terms of education, entrepreneurship, and workforce development.
At our Lab, we have seen the transformative potential of making firsthand and witnessed the magic that comes from being able to turn an idea into an object in a supportive and collaborative environment. We believe that the development of a Nation of Makers will help spread this empowering experience across our great nation.
As part of this wider educational goal, our Lab recently launched a new Coursera specialization focused on 3D Printing (https://www.coursera.org/specializations/3d-printing) . This specialization, which is in collaboration with Autodesk and Ultimaker provides learners from around the world with training about several aspects of 3D Printing. The materials in this course are freely available to anyone. Thus, we hope that it is helpful in advancing our collective goals.
In sum, the Illinois MakerLab is strongly committed to the further development of this worthy initiative!
Sincerely,
Aric Rindfleisch
Executive Director
Vishal Sachdev
Director
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