Md. lawmakers aim to pave the way for more makerspaces in the state
MARYLAND – Lawmakers want to establish more makerspaces in Maryland. Makerspaces are typically non-profit organizations that provide facilities, equipment, and materials for people to innovate and learn. Senate Bill 453 would establish the Maryland Makerspace Initiative Program.
Endless Opportunities
M4 Reactor is the only makerspace on the Eastern Shore. “We have many members that sign up. It’s a monthly fee to be able to come in and use the space. We have a variety of options for our monthly fee because we have several different shops within the space, depending on what it is that people want to be able to do there,” said Board Secretary Heather France-Kelly.
France-Kelly says the impact they’ve made on the community has been remarkable. “It’s really an exploratory type of environment where people have the ability to come in and to use the equipment, be around experts, and work on their own personal projects. We offer courses and training on all the different machines that we have,” she said.
Education and Support Through Creativity
Aside from having resources in house, M4 Reactor also offers courses to home school students, and has done educational events at public libraries. France-Kelly says she’s seen everything from students learn how to use advanced technology like 3D printing, to retirees using M4 Reactor’s wood shop to keep their passion alive.
Those experiences are especially crucial in the local area, according to France-Kelly. “Salisbury is an area that has a lot of manufacturing opportunities for people. With the new technologies that are coming out, we’re able to offer people that opportunity to come in and get that experience to go into a job with machinery,” she said.
France-Kelly says beyond education, outreach is also and extremely important part of what makerspaces like M4 Reactor do. “During COVID-19, we were actually able to work with the City of Salisbury through a grant they had received to be able to provide local businesses with free, acrylic shields, ear savers, and all kinds of personal protection equipment,” she said.
Expanding The Vision
Having seen countless dreams turn into reaction at M4 Reactor, France-Kelly says she hopes those opportunities can be expanded across the state. “I just think that, to be able to have these local places where people come to take classes, make projects, and can work on things and themselves, and collaborate with other people, really is an opportunity that we need to grasp on to,” she said.
SB453 is still making its way through the legislative process. But, if passed, it would go into effect in October of 2022.
In the meantime, M4 Reactor says they need more funding. That money would be used to to be able to pay people who work in the space, build out a mobile makerspace, and launch their Maker Academy. Until then, France-Kelly says the passage of the bill would be a wide-open window of opportunity across the state. “We’re excited about the possibility of more funding for makerspaces in the state of Maryland, so that they continue to be an integral part of our society,” she said.
