To coincide with the White House Maker Faire, Intel has announced an initiative to adopt six “Maker Cities” across the United States to encourage education, small-scale product design, development, and manufacturing efforts in those cities. The pilot program includes Santa Clara, CA and the surrounding Silicon Valley region; Folsom, CA; the Portland, OR Metro area; Chandler, AZ; Austin, TX; and the Albuquerque, NM Metro area. Intel will coordinate local partnerships, spearhead events and demonstration projects. According to the White House Press Office, “these efforts will highlight the opportunities for economic growth, workforce development and job creation that arise from a vibrant local maker scene.”
“We celebrate the maker in all of us and recognize the maker community as America’s future leaders,” said Carlos Contreras, Intel’s US Education Director. “Intel supports the Administration’s maker campaign to promote innovation, creativity and access to technology, which are key to increased opportunities for both individuals and for the United States in maintaining a globally competitive economy and inventing incredible things.”
CNM’s STEMulus Center
Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque is one of the institutions partnering with Intel on the program. As a part of the effort, the college is creating the STEMulus Center which will “provide accelerated educational opportunities; wrap-around support for aspiring entrepreneurs; and it will offer a maker space where state-of-the-art technology and labs can be accessed by the public to develop prototypes for business ventures,” according to their press release.
“CNM is very grateful for the generosity of Intel and the vision we share for the future,” said CNM President Katharine Winograd. “We believe the STEMulus Center has tremendous potential to boost the skills of our region’s workforce and add momentum to economic growth in central New Mexico.”
Mayor’s Maker Challenge
Intel and CNM are working together with the encouragement and collaboration of the City of Albuquerque. The city’s Mayor, Richard J. Berry, signed on to be part of the Mayors Maker Challenge, a White House initiative to encouraging mayors to challenge their peers to bolster Making in their own communities in order to spread access to tools, technologies, and education.
“Thanks to collaborations such as this, we are proud to be recognized as a maker city as part of this important national initiative,” said Mayor Berry. “I’ve pledged the city’s commitment to the Mayor’s Maker Challenge to encourage a larger maker movement in the city and a culture of innovation. I commend Intel and CNM for being on the forefront of this effort.”
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