Jeremy Rine, a senior studying mechanical engineering, came to UC Berkeley from Diablo Valley College, where he had very limited access to makerspace equipment like laser cutters and 3D printers. At Berkeley, Rine was drawn to the hands-on experience the CITRIS Invention Lab offers, and ended up becoming an Invention Lab “superuser.” With years of experience as a car mechanic and welder, Rine is excited to apply what he learned from the Invention Lab to his next engineering opportunity when he graduates.
“I explored a lot of labs around campus, and what drew my attention to the Invention Lab was that it’s hands-on. When you use the Ultimaker 3D printers, it’s expected that you learn how to directly use it and how to change filaments.
“As soon as I graduate, I want to get right back into the workforce as soon as possible. The Invention Lab has been critical for that because a lot of my classes here at Berkeley are research-oriented and theoretical. The Lab is the one place where I can apply things from my classes into hands-on reality. I can take what I’ve been learning and go back into the workforce and do something with it.”
Photo: Kuan-Ju Wu
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The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute drive interdisciplinary innovation for social good with faculty researchers and students from four University of California campuses – Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz – along with public and private partners.
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