Florida International University (FIU) and desktop 3D printing leader, MakerBot will host the grand opening of the new CARTA Innovation Lab at the FIU College of Architecture + The Arts (CARTA) Miami Beach Urban Studios on 29th September. The FIU Innovation Lab incorporates a MakerBot Innovation Centre and is the first centre to be housed in a college focused on art and design.
“The College of Architecture + The Arts is the first arts college in the nation to work with MakerBot to embrace 3D printing at a large scale,” explained Brian Schriner, dean of FIU’s College of Architecture + The Arts. “This new creative space will prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow by exploring the intersection of arts, design, and technology. The CARTA Innovation Lab is a major milestone that will help establish FIU as a national destination for innovative teaching, research, entrepreneurism, and creativity.”
The CARTA Innovation Lab aims to fill the gap in Miami’s startup scene for established makerspaces and entrepreneurs by providing a space for the local community to experiment with ideas. The 3D printing lab will be part of the Miami Beach Urban Studios, which provide expansive space for design and fine arts students, practice, and performance spaces for music and theatre students, and expansive gallery/exhibition spaces and classroom space for use by the entire College.
The CARTA Innovation Lab features an open layout and will bring together students from various disciplines with local entrepreneurs and artists to work on creative projects, develop new products, and conduct research. The lab will support a range of activities, from dual-enrolment programs for local high-school students to for-credit classes for FIU students and start-up programs for recent graduates.
Jonathan Jaglom, CEO of MakerBot, commented: “Desktop 3D printing is changing the way we think, work, and create things, and FIU is taking the lead in unlocking the creative potential of this transformative technology to art students. By bringing in a large-scale 3D printing centre and providing access to 3D printers to students at an early stage, FIU can create an atmosphere of collaboration and accelerate the creative process like never before.”
Students will use the lab to explore a variety of issues from sea level rise, world potable water shortages, aging in place, health, prosthetics, and mobility using 3D printing. Composer-in-Residence, Orlando Jacinto Garcia, has even begun working on a new composition in which 3D printers will join the world-renowned FIU School of Music’s ensemble-in-residence Amernet String Quartet in a production of a quartet with 3D printer soloists.
