RV There Yet? Great Futures Investor Center to promote STEM learning in St. Joseph County
SOUTH BEND —In the parking lot of the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County sits a bright blue RV, resplendent against the South Bend late-fall sky. To Jacqueline Kronk, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs, this RV is their way to "foster a curiosity of learning among marginalized populations, especially those we cannot see every day."
The brand-new RV There Yet? Great Futures Investor Center makerspace lab is fully equipped with laser engravers, virtual reality headsets, woodcutting machines, and a number of 3D printers and pens. The lab, which debuted Oct. 23, is set to rotate between 25 affiliated sites in St. Joseph County, including to more rural communities, visiting each location once a quarter.
"We want to bring opportunity to those who might not have it," Kronk says. "(With the RV) we can serve all kids regardless of where they go to school."
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The RV has yet to begin its journey around the community, so the students at the Boys & Girls Clubs on Sample Street are enjoying premier access to the lab. While the center itself houses a STEM classroom, the RV is meant to provide the students with a new, dynamic form of science education and spread that access to kids around the county.
"It is a great feeling to be able to pack up my classroom and roll it out into the parking lot," says Dave Ebersol, one of the masterminds behind the creation of the RV. He explains that the lab is both self-contained and expanding, allowing it to be easily transported but still act as a full-scale classroom.
"My philosophy," Ebersol says, "is that every kid should leave with something in their hand." In other words, the students should be able to see, feel and take pride in their creations to best develop an appreciation for the sciences. Multiple other Boys & Girls Clubs staff members shared a similar sentiment.
The RV contains a number of wooden tables that can be unloaded to form an outdoor classroom — weather permitting — or a secondary learning space inside the schools the RV visits. According to Ebersol, "the tables are where all the magic happens." Together with the equipment in the RV, the makerspace classroom as a whole can accommodate a class-size number of children.
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Ebersol says that the mobile makerspace lab took more than a year to develop, is completely custom made and "is fueled by a 16-gallon diesel generator that can run for three full days." The money for this project came from donations, and the production was supported both by the Career Academy Network of Public Schools and the local RV industry.
"We want to be leaders across the state and set standards for outside-class learning," says Kronk, who aims to combine the concept of an early STEM education with her dedication to accessibility. This newly built lab is one example of an emerging cache of makerspace labs, spearheaded by the company "1st Makerspace," according to Lucinda Reese, club director at Career Academy Boys & Girls Club. Rees will soon be taking on the role of makerspace program coordinator as their project continues to expand.
"1st Makerspace creates spaces for hands-on learning," Reese explains. The labs are designed to follow a curriculum that is available online and is in accordance with Indiana state standards. Success Academy and Career Academy — charter schools in South Bend that focus on STEM education — make use of makerspaces to encourage creative thinking and analytical skills in young children and teenagers alike. Marilyn Nash, maker manager at Success Academy, praises the labs for their ability to engage students who normally struggle with behavior at school.
"I love seeing students who come into the makerspace and are so focused and can really learn," Nash says. She adds that, for many schools, makerspaces are becoming the new library.
Besides working with the 25 affiliated sites in the South Bend area, Kronk and her team hope to eventually expand to non-school communities as well.
To the creators of the RV There Yet? Great Futures Investor Center, makerspace labs reach kids, foster their intellectual curiosity and produce results.
"It promotes problem-solving skills and hits all the areas we want to have in education," Ebersol says, "and it has that hands-on element that everyone wants as well."
Email Tribune staff writer Katherine Conway at kconway1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County rolls out new mobile STEM lab
