Gannon University is making a major investment in manufacturing innovation, which means big opportunities for Erie, Pennsylvania and beyond.
Located on the sixth floor of the state-of-the- art I-HACK Building (the Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge) at 131 West Ninth, the Center for Manufacturing and Technology MakerSpace represents a dynamic chapter in the University’s commitment to collaboration and innovation as well as workforce training and economic development. Since opening in October 2023, the workspace provides students, faculty and businesses access to tools and resources to learn cutting-edge techniques, develop products and advance traditional manufacturing capabilities. Employers also can engage with Gannon students and faculty on research and development opportunities for their companies.
The MakerSpace is equipped with advanced technologies and equipment, everything from a metal 3D printer, 24-unit 3D printing farm and laser cutters to CNC machines, electronics workstations as well as a flexible paint booth, machine shop, fabrication area and fully functional woodshop.
“The MakerSpace is everything you might imagine, in one space, to be able to work together to find solutions,” explains Karinna Vernaza, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Business at Gannon. “We’re a resource to really partner with in training, student talent, small production runs and improving processes or design.”
The MakerSpace complements the innovation already under way in I-HACK. The Hatchery, located on the third floor, is a space of networking, idea sharing and creation among the Gannon community and partnering businesses. The Hatchery houses the University’s Minor in Innovation and Creativity classes, and also boasts a small Maker Lab.
The Center for Manufacturing and Technology MakerSpace is also an essential part of Project NePTWNE — the Nano & Polymer Technology for Water and Neural-Networks in Erie. Project NePTWNE is a six-phase, $24 million project aimed at environmental sustainability, particularly water quality, with Gannon’s goal to “measure, mitigate and manufacture.” Creation of the Center was Phase I.
“Part of the vision with the sixth floor of I-HACK was to enable us to do design and prototyping on devices that help improve the environment, especially our water,” explains Gannon University President Walter Iwanenko Jr., Ph.D. “How do we use technology? How do we use manufacturing? The space is designed as a collaborative environment where students, faculty and community members can come together to create, innovate and experiment.”
THE MAKER MOVEMENT
Today, makerspaces are a vital part of the research community, especially in higher education. Initially, the spaces were born in engineering schools, but the value of an interdisciplinary space took hold.
To make the MakerSpace a reality on the I-HACK’s sixth floor, Gannon was awarded a $2 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant — a matching grant to begin construction of the I-HACK’s sixth floor. Gannon then received a $1.5 million ARC (Applachian Regional Commission) grant, $800,000 of which was exclusively used to buy equipment for the MakerSpace.
Material and equipment donations from Building Systems, Inc. for the woodshop and fiber marking laser for the machine shop by Industrial Sales & Mfg., Inc. in Erie also contributed to the MakerSpace’s completion, as well as an Alden Trust grant for $125,000. Many other local partners, such as Erie Insurance, have stepped up to provide Gannon and I-HACK initiatives with financial support.
“The support has come from a lot of different people saying this is important that you provide an opportunity for students, not just in college, to come into this space to collaborate and learn,” Vernaza says.
A HUB OF INNOVATION
First and foremost, the MakerSpace, featuring 10 dedicated areas of advanced manufacturing technology and production, is a resource for hands-on learning through experimentation and prototyping. This experiential learning is particularly vital in fields such as engineering and technology, but also business, health care and the arts.
Students can engage in projects that allow them to apply what they have learned in the classroom to tangible outcomes. For instance, engineering students might design and prototype a product, while business students get hands-on experience to assist their marketing strategy to launch it. For those in medical-related majors, it could open the door to new opportunities in medical manufacturing.
“In the real world, no matter what industry it is, individuals have to be able to communicate. They have to be able to think with a systems design concept. They have to be able to work on teams. They have to be able to work across disciplines,” explains Iwanenko. “That’s really the vision of the MakerSpace — to bring expertise from this huge array of professions and have them work together on projects.”
FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Gannon University has long been committed to nurturing entrepreneurial talent, and the MakerSpace — through its partnership with the Beehive Network, Small Business Development Center at Gannon University (Gannon SBDC) and Erie Technology Incubator (ETI) — complements these efforts by providing aspiring entrepreneurs with the consulting and tools they need to turn their ideas into viable businesses.
Whether it’s conducting market research or receiving feedback from peers and mentors, the MakerSpace offers a supportive environment that nurtures creativity and innovation.
“We connect a lot with companies through the Beehive and Erie Technology Incubator in which they’re developing a product or they have something that they want to improve, and they come through us in order to evaluate that and see if that’s a possibility,” notes Vernaza.
Consulting takes place on several levels — one through entrepreneurial concept — and then on the startup or growth of an existing business.
Brad Gleason, director of Entrepreneurial Operations at Gannon, assists tech-enabled small businesses with the resources to keep their ideas going and growing. “They can move into our Erie Technology Incubator at Ninth and State Streets and grow their business in a more robust way to go to market or to go to investment or both. When we’re doing that, they’re starting to look for resources by student labor, faculty expertise, or the expertise in I-HACK at the top floor where they’re taking their prototype.”
One client, PureLine Putting, for example, is trying to sell a product to the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) with a patent for a different type of putter head. The MakerSpace created 3D concepts, which the client will take to an upcoming national conference. “It’s just a different take on balanced putting and having fun with it,” Gleason says.
Gleason is currently working with two manufacturers — Industrial Sales & Mfg., Inc. and Penn-Union — using immersive, single-user virtual reality (VR) on training conversions to make it more appealing to younger workers. He also is working with other groups, such as the Corry Higher Ed Council, on research involving student interest in STEM and manufacturing, related to VR work.
“We want to do it in very technical ways to meet kids where they’re at with the gaming mindset,” he says, “And I think we’re going to be pushing a lot of interventions like that to the high school level.”
A SOLUTIONS AND TRAINING PROVIDER
The MakerSpace is also a cost-effective alternative for entrepreneurs and small employers who don’t want to invest unnecessarily in equipment, manpower or inventory long term. Much of that focus is in the additive manufacturing space — design services and 3D printing.
For instance, the MakerSpace created 3D printing custom parts to restore a 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster for NFI Empire of North East, custom balusters for the Erie Historic Preservation Trust, manufactured replica fasteners for an HVAC system that were no longer in production, and has worked on prototypes and short production runs for Suburban Tool & Die Co., Inc.
The MakerSpace also features a Direct Metal Laser Sintering 3D metal printer, which can handle various materials like copper and nickel alloys and tool steel. In addition, the workspace houses a water jet machine that can cut through most materials, including carbon fiber, foam plastic, metals and wood, as well as a 24-unit 3D printing farm. The Advanced Additive Lab has more than 60 3D printers.
“We can help determine the right application long term,” says Daniel Dell, I-HACK Business Consultant for the SBDC at Gannon University, “We want to be utilized as a service that provides the beginning to end or each side of that cycle for helping a client understand what the right things are to design for additive manufacturing, provide that first prototype or a few prototypes to them for evaluation, and then help them move into production with 3D printing and continue on in that manner.”
Gannon University’s MakerSpace has quickly become a valuable resource for manufacturing training as well.
The MakerSpace offers workshops on computer aided design (CAD), fundamentals of 3D printing, fused deposition modeling, selective laser sintering, full color 3D printing, direct metal laser sintering and more.
“We’ve now been spreading more into the introduction courses, such as Intro to CAD, Intro to filament printing,” notes Nick Devine, design and fabrication engineer for the Center for Manufacturing and Technology at Gannon, who also manages the small staff at the MakerSpace. “We’ve had some feedback that people want the bare bones just to start.”
During the summer, the MakerSpace is used for STEM-related camps for high school students. “Every student gets to assemble and walk away with their own 3D printer,” says Vernaza. “We make sure that our own students are versatile in all the technology that you see there as well.”
WORKFORCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The impact of the MakerSpace extends far beyond the walls of Gannon University. As students prepare to enter the workforce, they can get the skills, experiences and entrepreneurial mindset needed for the real world by working with employers in the community.
“A big part of this is helping students become more developed for industry and the workforce,” explains Devine. “Partnering and coming to Gannon doesn’t necessarily mean you’re sending a print out to a job shop. A lot of what we’re doing is problem solving for these companies. Coming to us with a problem that you’d like students to work on, you can get a fresh perspective and it’s giving them real-world experience too.”
Iwanenko sees such experience as playing a big part of Erie’s future. “Many of those manufacturers also take our students and they’re doing internships, and it’s creating the ability for a funnel where the students can go from an internship to a full-time job when they graduate. They are the ones who are buying houses, contributing to the tax base and sending their kids to our schools; it’s a fantastic relationship.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Gannon University’s MakerSpace is a transformative initiative that embodies the University’s commitment to manufacturing innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. With ongoing support, the MakerSpace will continue to be a vital resource for students and the community, driving innovation in manufacturing, research, and workforce and economic development.
“Gannon is only as strong as Erie; Erie is only as strong as its people and its businesses, so we need to use the manufacturing center and I-HACK to bring more businesses to Erie so that we can all continue to grow,” says Iwanenko. “That’s the vision. That’s one of the main objectives, and why we invested in the manufacturing on our sixth floor and in the I-HACK is to continue the economic development in this region.”
Currently, the University has two more floors of the I-HACK to develop. “We’re looking for the right partnership to continue to develop that space, so as people have ideas, come and help us develop the next floor and come and be a partner with us,” Iwanenko urges.
In essence, Gannon University is not just preparing students for the future; t is helping to shape the future of manufacturing for everyone.
“I see Gannon as a partner in the framework of economic development here in the City of Erie. We’re in the middle of town. We are very much engaged in making sure we are a resource for not just companies, but also help for those individuals who are part of the City of Erie to earn an education, whatever they might want to do,” says Vernaza. “If individuals are simply thinking, ‘Where could find that openness to come into a space,’ we’re really open to figuring out how we can help each other, how we can support somebody to become successful, and we’re more than willing to be that partner from many aspects. All the floors of I-HACK really do inspire innovation, creativity and just how to adapt technology to our lives.”
For more information, visit gannon.edu/makerspace or email makerspace@gannon.edu.
