The University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando has created a place located in the Engineering II building on the main campus where ideas can truly become reality with the opening of its Maker Space labs which includes the Texas Instruments Innovation Lab. Designed around four key lab spaces: Gather, Idea, Innovate and Manufacture, these spaces together create an ecosystem of innovation where students across all disciplines can meet to be creative and hone their technical and leadership skills.
Engineering, business, industrial design and art students can come together to collaborate on their innovations and ideas whether they are starting from initial concepts, brainstorming, prototyping or ultimately building and producing the next big idea. The Texas Instruments Innovation lab is modeled after the “maker” model, providing students with engineering tools and resources to bring their ideas to life. It features state-of-the-art equipment, including a 3D printer, laser cutter, electronic benches with oscilloscopes and power supplies, as well as demo kits provided by TI to create a wide variety of electronic designs.
TI’s innovative DNA
TI hopes to mirror the creative and innovative environment at UCF that runs in its own DNA. From innovators like Jack Kilby who created the integrated circuit (the heart of every piece of electronics) in 1958, to Gene Frantz, former UCF grad and retired TI Principal Fellow, Frantz is known for being instrumental in creating the world’s first digital signal processor chip.
Speaking at the TI Innovation Lab ribbon cutting ceremony is UCF alumnus Brian Crutcher, TI’s Executive Vice President of Business Operations. Crutcher is an active participant in UCF planning, serving on the Dean’s Advisory Board. Both Frantz and Crutcher are upcoming speakers in the “Leaders up Close” seminar series at UCF.
Forging collaboration
UCF’s Maker Spaces are designed to encourage collaboration between the hard and soft sciences, bringing science and math majors together with business, design and art. The idea is to encourage and replicate what occurs every day in our industry, as cross-functional, multi-disciplinary teams strive to innovate, transforming ideas into next generation products. “This maker space will encourage and facilitate a high degree of collaboration which helps to fuel the creative process,” explains Crutcher.
“The approach taken by UCF to create this space should better prepare students for the workforce sooner in their academic career,” adds Frantz.
Developing future leaders
Meeting future demands requires leadership, skills that UCF actively teaches through its Engineering Leadership & Innovation Institute, or eli². Acting as an umbrella for the new maker spaces, eli² follows a formalized leadership process based on industry feedback that was originally developed for engineering and computer science students.
“UCF excels at producing fundamentally sound engineers, according to industry,” explains Timothy Kotnour, Ph.D., professor and director, UCF Engineering Leadership & Innovation Institute (eli2). “Our intention with eli2 is to provide students opportunities throughout their entire academic experience to develop a skill set that distinguishes them when they graduate.”
Through the Innovation Center any student at UCF can now be exposed to eli², with Dr. Kotnour emphasizing that “the mission is to create a burning passion to make a difference.”
Going from ideas to prototype
Students begin by brainstorming in the Idea Lab, and move to what Dr. Hoekstra calls “quick prototyping,” first typically using Legos, Duct tape and card board. “This gives you a physical model but you haven’t invested much in it,” he stresses. “If you invest too much initially, you can’t see the problems.” Once the team has thoroughly explored all of the issues, the process moves on to more formal prototyping in the TI Innovation Lab, with some designs moving to the manufacturing lab to explore production.
“It is in the TI lab where students do true, hands-on engineering,” adds Dr. Kotnour. “You can get your hands dirty. This is what excited us about engineering when we chose it as a career and it is still what makes it exciting today.”
To ensure that the maker spaces run smoothly and all student needs are addressed, UCF has named Dale Jackson, who formerly led the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Alliance in Central Florida, as its first director. Prior to STEM, Jackson created and directed the Innovation Lab for EA SPORTS, helping to incubate new ideas and create products.
Says Jackson, “This program should give students at UCF a leg up. The next big idea could be sitting in the mind of a person who doesn’t necessarily have the technical capabilities to create it. This is about bringing the right mix of people together to bring ideas to life.”
To learn more about UCF’s new maker spaces and the TI Innovation lab visit here.