A place for tech education
Edwards cuts ribbon for TechEd High School Makerspace
EDWARDS AFB — The 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base’s new TechEd High School Makerspace is a 21st century workshop where high school students can create interesting projects with 3D printers and 3D design software, a laser cutter, electrical engineering software, and other tools.
Brig. Gen. E. John Teichert, 412th Test Wing Commander, celebrated the new makerspace during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning at building 7210, site of the makerspace, at Edwards.
“To me, this is a rightful investment in our youth community here on Edwards, as well as anybody that is base affiliated,” Teichert said.
The Department of Defense paid for the facility, which cost about $10,000.
“I think it’s massively important for our community, but I think it’s a template for what we could do DOD-wide at every single base in the DOD,” Teichert said. “By not just the capability of the space, but a three-year curriculum that teaches our youth how to use these type of tools to solve problems.”
James M. Wang, program designer and Air Force ROTC student at Stanford University, created five similar makerspaces in the Bay Area. Wang took a quarter off from Stanford to
create TechEd for Edwards.
“I’ve been working in education reform for a long time,” Wang said.
Wang pitched his idea of creating the first makerspace for high school students at Edwards AFB to Teichert last May through Teichert’s innovation initiative.
“On the spot he sort of slammed the table and said, ‘All right, we’re doing this. He’s like, Make it happen. Can it be running by January?’ ” Wang recalled.
At the time, Wang wasn’t sure, but he said yes anyway. He met the deadline with a few days to spare.
The 3D printers can print items such as hands, a baby Yoda or mechanical parts that students design such as parts for robots or science fair projects.
“These are very popular machines and they teach 3D design very well,” Wang said.
The laser cutter can cut woods and plastics and engrave metal to make engineering projects or whatever students can dream of. The 3D design software is the same software that mechanical engineers use to design airplanes or the individual parts.
“We teach basic electrical engineering, so circuits, signal analysis, stuff like that,” Wang said.
The makerspace also has art and crafts materials like
T-shirt making and paints.
“One main function of this makerspace is we’re a technical education to help teach but we’re also trying to be a home away from home for students,” Wang said. “We have couches, we have space for students to do homework. We just really want to be a conscious choice for students to come after school, hang out, and feel like they’re part of the family.”
Wang developed the first year curriculum and will work on the second and third year curriculum with help from Stanford’s Graduate School of Education.
“The goal is to create a scalable curriculum that can not only be used here at Edwards but also other bases in the Air Force Materiel Command, for instance, across the country,” Wang said.
The first eight-week class starts next week. Students will learn how the laser cutter, 3D printer, and software works, and then learn how to use the tools.
Students from Desert Junior-Senior High School will be able to use the makerspace. So will other students with access to Edwards, which hosts students from the neighboring communities. The facility will also be open to airmen and community members with access to the base during community open hours.
Jessica Rodriguez, a robotics team coach and mentor for Desert Junior-Senior High School, said she was delighted with the makerspace as she applied a decal to a T-shirt at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“I’m very excited because we’re doing lots of things to connect with our local students, and when I say local I don’t mean just on base, I mean outside of the base,” said Helida Vanhoy, STEM coordinator for the 412th Test Wing.