Chatt Fab is an annual convening of educators in Chattanooga Tennessee.  It is sponsored by Volkswagen, who has a large manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, and is a natural extension of a grant they first issued in 2009 for the Hamilton County School System funding “innovation labs” in the school system.  Since then, 43 innovation labs have been opened up in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the Chattanooga area – maker spaces with 3D printers, electronic labs, laser cutters, wood shops, sewing machines, etc.  These are spaces where students have the tools and supplies to make anything that they imagine.  Chatt Fab gives those educators who have never used the labs for their classrooms, and those Innovation lab teachers to get together and exchange ideas and gain new skills.  

As an operations manager for STE(A)M Truck and a Program Manager for MakerUSA this was something that was right up my alley and sorely needed.  So, I registered, made my travel arrangements, and headed up the road from Atlanta.

After years of dreaming and months of planning, I sat down to put the finishing touches on the June 2026 launch of the Innovative Makers Academy—a dynamic collaboration created by educators, for educators.

Having participated in more professional development workshops than I can count over the course of my career, I had a few goals. This needed to be fun, interactive, engaging, and worthwhile. I wanted every educator who walked through the door to leave feeling refreshed, encouraged, and empowered.

As I thought about how to open those two days and set that tone, one idea kept rising to the surface:

Maybe it’s just as important to unlearn some old things as it is to learn new ones.

From June 8–10, seven middle school students from across the Knoxville area came together for a hands-on experience made possible through a partnership between Maker USA and Pellissippi State Community College, with support from the Arconic Foundation.

Ben McIver, MakerUSA’s Program Manager in Atlanta discusses his experience in expanding STE(A)M Truck’s makerspace and what he’s learned about the Maker Mindset along the way.

Melissa Carey, MakerUSA’s Program Manager in Knoxville reflects on spending the past 2.5 years creating more opportunities for educators and students to engage in maker-centered learning in her hometown.

Jessica Johnson, MakerUSA Program Manager, shares her experience collaborating with STE(A)M Truck in Atlanta to create more opportunities for student and youth to engage in meaningful STEAM and maker education experiences.

MakerUSA announced the launch of its new Learning Network, which will engage 34 leading institutions and organizations across 20 states. The MakerUSA Learning Network is a national community of practice designed to facilitate the exchange of resources and ideas, develop new regional collaborations and strengthen social capital across institutions and organizations taking community-driven approaches to supporting maker education and pathways to “making” industries.

MakerUSA, a new organization incubated within the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), launched today in conjunction with NACCE’s annual make/SHIFT conference.

MakerUSA’s mission is to accelerate social mobility and community-driven innovation by expanding pathways for underserved students into maker careers and entrepreneurship.

NACCE is excited to enable the launch of MakerUSA! MakerUSA is being incubated within NACCE and will be publicly announced at our annual make/SHIFT conference April 20-22, 2022 in San Diego. Register today!

In Baltimore, MD, Coppin State University students and faculty are partnering with a community-embedded makerspace to demonstrate the social and economic impact of making, entrepreneurship, and community engagement.