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The KCI Underground Blog


This is the first blog post on the KCI Underground Blog. The Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College is leading the MakerSpace program at Foothill College, but the MakerSpace is a collaboration of many different groups / divisions on the Foothill campus, including: the Business/Social Science, Fine Arts and Communications, and Physical Science, Mathematics and Engineering. Our goal is to meet the needs and provide opportunities to make for Foothill students, students in K-12 schools and community members and others.

We are using the term "Underground" to as a reference to the ability to get any where, from any place; using multiple "on-ramps and off-ramps" for Makers using the London Underground Map as a reference model. In the KCI Underground MakerSpace, we will have six general "Making" areas, where Makers can work in. Crafting, Wearables, Computing, Electronics, Computing, Physical Design, and Fabrication are the six general areas where Makers can work in, with plenty of overlap between the different areas which will allow Makers to create in different ways based upon their own interests and experiences.


In each Making area, Makers can earn badges, which document the skills and techniques that they have learned and been able to successfully implement. As Makers earn additional badges, they obtain additional access to different tools within the MakerSpace. The Scout level badges allow makers to look at, observe and learn about the general skills within that specific area. The Pathfinder level badges allow Makers to work independently using a map, recipe, or instruction list to build a project from a list of projects that use the skills and tools in that specific Making area. The Trailblazer badges are designed for Makers to demonstrate the skills they have learned in the Scout and Pathfinder level badges. Once a Maker has completed the three badges within a single Making area, they can apply for a "Mentor Badge", which requires them to serve as a mentor for others within the KCI MakerSpace and observed by KCI staff.

This blog will serve multiple purposes moving forward. The first is to provide information about the KCI Underground MakerSpace (Hours, Tools, Equipment). The second, is to celebrate the successes of the students and other users in the space. And the third is to provide information about programs that are upcoming in the space.

To find out more about the KCI Underground MakerSpace, please fill out this form or read this document.

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