NEWS RELEASE

CONTACTS:
Howard R Miller, Director of Strategic Alignment & Communication, 305-348-7997,
hmiller@fiu.edu
Anusha Alikhan, Director of Communications, Knight Foundation, 305-908-2677,
media@knightfoundation.org

New MakerBot Innovation Lab at Florida International University will provide innovators
with a space to experiment and build out their ideas
Knight Foundation invests $185,000 in makerspace
MIAMI, FL (June 29, 2015) Florida International University (FIU) will soon be home to a new,
3,000 square-foot MakerBot Innovation Lab, a collaborative makerspace for students and other
innovators, to be housed at its Miami Beach Urban Studios. The lab is supported by $185,000
from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Knight support will be used to create a MakerBot Innovation Lab of 3D printers and 3D scanners
where public programs, private innovation explorations, and educational opportunities will be
offered across all age groups. The lab will support a range of activities from dual enrollment
programs for local high school students, to for-credit classes for FIU students and start-up
programs for recent graduates. Community members can also use the space to develop new
products, ideas and tools, conduct research or launch personal projects.
This lab will foster integrated, interdisciplinary creative solutions establishing FIU as a national
voice incorporating arts and design thinking into our curriculum, said Brian Schriner, dean of
FIUs College of Architecture + the Arts. Knight Foundations commitment to supporting local
entrepreneurs and idea makers aligns with the colleges strategy to build community and widely
benefit the city, while greatly enhancing its prominence in the world of innovation, design and
arts."
Miamis entrepreneurial ecosystem has seen enormous growth over the last few years adding
co-working spaces, mentor and funder networks, educational offerings and a host of events. But
there are few established makerspaces where entrepreneurs can experiment and build, said
Matt Haggman, Knight Foundations Miami program director. The MakerBot Innovation Lab will
help to fill this gap, providing the next generation of Miami talent with a space to realize their
ideas and inviting the community to connect toward building a stronger startup culture in our
city.

FIU Urban Studios will also collaborate with Miami Beach-based Rokk3r Labs, a unique platform
for anyone, anywhere in the world to launch ideas that change the world. Rokk3r Labs will work
with FIU to initiate workshops, seminars and other programming within the MakerBot Innovation
Lab.
Miami Beach Urban Studios offers undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to
study in one of the most vibrant, artistic urban centers in the world for one semester, while
gaining valuable professional experience at design firms, and by working with arts organizations
throughout the city. Located in the Art Deco 420 Lincoln Rd. building, the Miami Beach Urban
Studios gives students and faculty access to Miami Beachs arts and design culture.
College of Architecture + The Arts will be the only arts/design college in the nation to house a
MakerBot Innovation Lab, said John Stuart, AIA, associate dean for cultural and community
engagement and the executive director of Miami Beach Urban Studios. Our vision is that FIU
will be recognized nationally at the forefront of innovative teaching, learning, engagement,
research and creative activities and this lab will assist greatly in achieving this vision.
Support to FIUs MakerBot Innovation Lab is a part of Knight Foundations efforts to invest in
Miamis emerging innovators and entrepreneurs as a tool to build community, while fostering
talent and expanding economic opportunity. Over the past three years, Knight has made more
than 100 investments in entrepreneurship in South Florida.
For more information on FIUs Miami Beach Urban Studios, visit www.mbus.fiu.edu.
About FIU College of Architecture + The Arts:
The FIU College of Architecture + The Arts engages our local and global communities by
deploying the power of architecture + the arts to create, innovate, and inspire solutions to local
challenges with national and global impacts. Offering 9 graduate and 8 undergraduate degrees
within 7 academic departments, our more than 2500 majors have the unique experience of
working with our award-winning faculty in nationally ranked programs in the heart of Miami and
Miami Beach two of the countrys most vibrant, diverse, and creative cities! For more
information, visit us at http://www.fiu.edu/.

About FIU:
Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public
research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelors, masters and
doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and
medicine. As one of South Floridas anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to
the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of
our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over
200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers,
including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also
supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost

Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of
Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more
information, visit us at http://www.fiu.edu/.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance
media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that
democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more,
visit knightfoundation.org.

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