CNSI Innovation Workshop Supports "Future Makers" with Uplift Central Coast Catalyst Predevelopment Grant

The process of creation is empowering and transformative for developing minds. Dr. Brian Dincau, CNSI’s Innovation Workshop Manager, has witnessed this firsthand.

“Between my work as a teaching assistant, undergraduate mentor, and now lab manager, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with hundreds of students. Those who grow up with maker experiences, whether at home or at school, have a huge head start in life. It’s sad that so many children don’t get these experiences when ample resources exist.”

To help share maker experiences with children that need it most, Dr. Dincau applied for an Uplift Central Coast Catalyst Predevelopment Grant.

Uplift Central Coast is a growing coalition of Central Coast residents working together towards a shared vision of a diverse, inclusive economy designed and built by the community. It encompasses six counties, including Santa Barabra County, across regions that two million people call home.

The Catalyst Predevelopment Grant aims to create an inclusive economic development process focusing on equity, sustainability, job quality, economic competitiveness, and resilience. With 136 applicants vying for support and projects totaling $50 million, Future Makers emerged as one of the 36 selected applicants to share in the $9 million grant award.

The “Future Makers” project aims to inspire 3rd- to 8th-grade students from Northern Santa Barbara and Ventura County through workshops in which they get to use common fabrication tools. Encouraged to create through doing, participants will engage in hands-on learning by using tools such as soldering irons, 3D printers, microscopes, laser cutters, and CNC routers to make small personalized keepsakes like keychains or bookmarks. For many student participants, it will be their first opportunity to use these tools and learn about the many maker-oriented educational and career opportunities.

The workshops will be hosted in CNSI’s Innovation Workshop, an academic makerspace used by researchers all over UCSB to build cutting-edge experiments. They will be led by Dr. Dincau and the “Workshop Wizards,” a team of undergraduate students trained to work specifically with the tools in the Innovation Workshop. In addition to the workshop, students will also receive a campus tour and other select UCSB facility tours, which may include the UCSB Library and its maker space and the Nanofab, a world-class cleanroom at UCSB. Lastly, visiting students will all be provided with lunch and be joined by members of Los Ingenieros, a student-led organization focused on helping underrepresented students realize their potential as valued members of the STEAM community.

“I’m really excited about this opportunity and extremely grateful for the grant from Uplift Central Coast. I hope to give every participant a memorable experience that will inspire curiosity and confidence.”