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This content was published: October 23, 2014. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

Congressman Blumenauer chats with civics class, MakerSpace faculty

Story by Kate Chester. Photos by James Hill.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer proves learning never stops when he visited Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Rep. Blumenauer expressed interest in visiting a community college civics course and PCC is made it happen. He stopped by Nicholas Paine’s “U.S. Public Policy and Democracy” course to take questions from the 30 or so students and talk about the economy and foreign policy. From there, the Congressman visited the MakerSpace lab to learn about the latest on the Maker movement. Staff and students talked about the interdisciplinary innovation studio dedicated to the art and science of making ideas real through technology: rapid prototyping machines including 3D printers and scanners, CNC machines, lasers, vinyl cutters, sheet metal tools, and a plastic injection molder. The lab was made possible in part by Intel and has produced numerous success stories this summer – Jordan Nickerson’s new hand and Latinas learning about wearable tech.