RacerWerx represents like-minded faculty, staff, and students, drawn from a multitude of disciplines, working together to explore new technologies and address real-world problems. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as Aristotle is quoted as saying, and RacerWerx represents the knowledge and experience of many, brought together to explore, use, and educate others in the use of 21st century technologies, like Arduino, 3D printers, 3D scanner, mobile application development, RaspberryPi, and innovative systems.
Our Objectives
- to promote education and research of current and emerging technologies, such as iOS, Android, Arduino, RaspberryPi, GPS/GIS, Python, MakerBot, Linux, drones and other unmanned sensor systems (USS);
- to engage current and future students interested in developing experience in 21st century STEM technologies;
- to offer local K-20 educators opportunities to leverage current skills or develop new skills to implement Common Core Science Standards (CCSS);
- to identify a cohort of interested parties and leverage the current Murray State knowledge base with the purpose of pursuing grants, contracts, and other funding sources;
- to improve and expand the current knowledge base of Murray State University with regards to emerging technologies;
- to remain competitive among our benchmark universities, some of whom have already implemented or are in the process of developing “MakerLab”-style campus resources;
- to engage Murray State faculty & staff and encourage a multidisciplinary environment representing many fields, disciplines, and experiences for mentoring, supervising, reviewing, consulting, and analysing projects;
- to provide non-JCSET Murray State students an opportunity to expand skill sets in emerging technologies;
- to collaborate with local business and industries;
- to foster local innovation opportunities;
- to augment skills and experience of current and future Murray State students;
- to develop and maintain a pool of skilled local talent to assist with grants and contracts requiring experience in new emerging technologies;
- to ensure and foster communication of research interests, current or potential projects;
- to anticipate, identify, and address emerging technologies as they become economically feasible;
- to assist Murray State in solving in-house technology concerns, rather than contracting with non-local 3rd-party entities
Our Goals
- To create a single campus innovation center for faculty, staff, and student access. The innovation center would
- house all necessary devices and technology;
- provide workspace for faculty, staff, and students;
- provide learning opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to build and enhance skills;
- provide students experience with current and future technologies;
- be operated and managed by students, with staff and faculty oversight;
- develop an ecosystem of design, fabrication, management, sales, and support for students to gain exposure to the entire production cycle
- provide a "retail space" for faculty, staff, and students to market their efforts. A portion of the revenue would return to the center to finance and support the center.
- provide training and educational services to the regional community to assist populations in western Kentucky to learn new technologies.
- provide training resources to local K-12 educators involved in STEM, supporting Area Technology Centers (ATC), and Kentucky "Project Lead the Way."
In the event a single campus innovation center cannot be established, two other ideas are being pursued.
Plan B
Plan B involves identification of current innovation laboratories on campus. Each laboratory would be assessed for current technology, and future needs (a "wish" list), previous projects, current projects, and future project ideas. The campus innovation laboratories would be "branded" as a "RacerWerx" innovation lab, with no change in management but an agreement to collaborate with other labs on campus in pursuing grants, contracts, learning opportunities, professional development of faculty, staff, students via the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT), and engaging the greater Murray State region through building private business relationships and Murray State's Office of Continuing Education and Academic Outreach (CEOA).
All of the particular goals identified above (#1-9) would persist, though modified to account for the lack of a singular space.
Plan C
Plan C involves the creation of a "not-for-profit" and would not involve Murray State, except as a potential partner. Interested faculty, staff, and students would be recruited or self-identified to assemble necessary participants to establish a not-for-profit with the express purpose of addressing the overall objectives and goals
