Daily Cal: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the makerspaces of UC Berkeley’s CITRIS Invention Lab and Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation have added remote services and are not requiring Maker Passes for access to services during the fall 2020 semester.
The makerspaces provided campus students, faculty and staff who had Maker Passes access to systems of tools and machinery before the pandemic. Campus members no longer need a Maker Pass to access these resources, and nonessential staff cannot physically go inside the two spaces.
Additionally, the makerspaces have transitioned to remote assistance, according to Joey Gottbrath, technical lab lead at the Jacobs Institute.
Students can utilize the CITRIS Invention Lab by filling out a request form, through which students submit jobs for staff to print or fabricate, according to CITRIS Invention Lab director Eric Paulos. The Jacobs Institute’s 3D printers can also be used remotely by the campus community, and eligible students and faculty can use more of the Jacobs makerspace services, according to the Jacobs Institute website.