Workforce development downtown Reno: UNR’s robotics center to open soon

by Jane Tors

The past will soon meet the future of workforce development in the historic Southside Studio, operated by the University of Nevada, Reno in downtown Reno.

K-12 robotics competition teams help to stimulate interest and development in robotics, computer science, engineering and automation, and these teams need large, open areas in which to design, build and test their creations.

The upstairs space of the former Southside School – which was once used as the combined gymnasium and performance stage – offers an answer. It will be home to the K-12 Robotics Center | University of Nevada, Reno, opening in the first quarter of 2021.

Tesla and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) are supporting the project and share the University’s vision to create a space that encourages young people’s interest in these critical fields of study.

Mike Kazmierski, EDAWN president and CEO, sees the K-12 Robotics Center helping to answer a big question: “Where are we going to be as a region in 10 years? If we are going to be a tech hub, we need to reinvent how we think about and teach technology.”

EDAWN has added the position of regional robotics coordinator to its team to support programming and connect the region’s robotics-related efforts, people and organizations. In this role, Caroline Hanson is already coordinating with the team at the UNR Innevation Center, which oversees activities in the Southside Studio and the K-12 Robotics Center.

Read the entire article in the NNBW: https://www.nnbw.com/news/2021/feb/05/workforce-development-downtown-reno-unrs-robotics-/