NJIT is an International 'Best Maker School' in Inaugural List by Make: and Newsweek

New Jersey Institute of Technology is in rarified air as it has been recognized as one of 200 colleges and universities named a Best Maker School in Higher Education by Make: magazine and Newsweek.

Across the university, NJIT houses facilities that encourage engineers, architects, designers, and scientists to create and test ideas, put theory into practice, and quickly iterate to develop solutions.

Most notably, NJIT boasts a 21,000 square foot Makerspace with over $3 million in state-of-the-art equipment ranging from industrial to small prototyping machines. It is the largest of its kind in New Jersey, and has been used to both develop aircraft to compete in SAE Aero competitions and rapidly manufacture face shields in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“NJIT’s Makerspace is a significant educational, research and economic development tool for advanced manufacturing and education,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom. “Housing the latest technology prepares students to become the workforce of the future, and ours was built to be a collaborative environment for students, faculty, staff and industry partners.”

“Increasingly, makerspaces are seen as essential for students, and not just as an amenity, but for developing the skills and mindset of the next generation of innovators,” said Make: founder Dale Dougherty. 

Make: surveyed an international community of educators, administrators, students, and maker leaders to create the non-ranked list. Schools had to “demonstrate excellence or competency” in integrated learning-through-doing orientation; mentoring and coaching for making, physical makerspaces and other facilities; accessible spaces and tools that support independent, collaborative projects; and a diverse, active community of makers.

Visit https://makezine.com/best-maker-schools-2021-from-make-and-newsweek/ to learn more.