Pueblo Community College’s Southwest Campus in Mancos celebrated its new building on Tuesday with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. and an open house.
They welcomed students, staff and the public to come see what was a once a storage unit and is now the campus’ premier Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics building.
There will be a second open house on Wednesday, Aug. 28 from 3 to 6 p.m.
A few short years ago, the campus didn’t have a STEM program at all. When they started up the program and had select classes, they taught in random rooms in the main building.
“This is much less crowded, and more inviting,” said Melissa Watters, the STEM academic and career expert at the college.
The new space has an open concept, which encourages collaboration and teamwork. It’s open to all students – not just STEM majors – and will be a great workspace for workshops, engineering classes and the Colorado Space Grant Consortium Robotics Challenge teams, Watters said.
It also has 3D printers, microscopes, STEM tools and robotics equipment, among other things. They’re additionally planning to collaborate with the automotive department to scan parts and try to 3D-print them.
“STEM isn’t just engineering. That’s why the microscopes are out,” Watters said with a laugh.
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the space will transform into the STEM Center Cafe. Students from any major can come, have coffee and use the space however they deem fit: for STEM tools or study time, Watters said.
From 1 to 3 p.m. on those days, the space will be a Learner’s Studio, which is more of a quiet study hall.
Kevin Aten, interim campus administrator, said he was at the building a few days ago for an academy where high school students and adult learners worked together; Aten said he enjoyed seeing the range of learners working together in the space.
“I hope the community members and schools in the area take advantage of this awesome space. I’m looking forward to teaching and learning and providing STEM workshops,” said Chris LaRose, the STEM outreach coordinator.
Part of what they’re trying to do is target K-12 kids and spread awareness of the STEM program and get them excited about it.
That’s what LaRose’s job is. He said he spends a lot of time in the field – last year, he connected with 450 kids.
This fall, Watters said there’s 12 students in an engineering class, and only three of them are from PCC. The rest are high school kids, showing the interest in the area.
“STEM is the right work moving forward,” said Aten. “Students have immense interest in technology. They understand the skills we teach here are for their future.”
They all emphasized their excitement at the ribbon cutting, and what the new space means for the program moving forward.
Renovation of the storage space was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division, and a STEM Edge grant assisted in expanding PCC’s program itself.
“Melissa and Chris had a dream … they were camped in a closet in a small space, and … it’s just neat for me to see two to three years later, see this come to fruition. You guys had this beautiful dream of turning this into something better. … Thanks to you guys,” Aten said.
