Vincennes University hosted the grand opening of the VU Design and Innovation Training Studio in the Summers Center on the VU Campus on Tuesday, July 23rd. The training studio, developed with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Charting the Future Initiative is a significant step in further enhancing access to high-quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in Indiana.
It is part of VU’s ongoing efforts to establish a network of Design and Innovation Studios in elementary and middle schools throughout Southwest Indiana. Partners in this statewide project include K-12 schools, Purdue University Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center (IN-MaC), and Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, Inc. (TMMI).
This first-of-its-kind facility in Southwestern Indiana will serve as a hub of STEM education professional development and training for the state’s largest cohort of Design and Innovation Studios in Southern and Southwestern Indiana. The training studio will provide K-12 students, college students, educators, and community partners in Southern Indiana and Southwestern Indiana exceptional access to technologies, activities, and lessons, preparing the future workforce for emerging careers in Industry 4.0, such as advanced manufacturing, robots, and AI.
The VU Design and Innovation Training Studio is part of a statewide network of 101 Design and Innovation Studios in elementary and intermediate schools, within industry settings, and at VU and Purdue IN-MaC. The 47 Design and Innovation Studios in Region 11, which includes Knox, Gibson, Vanderburgh, Dubois, and Perry counties, impact more than 15,000 students and upskill 150 teachers and future educators annually. They also represent a $1 million investment in K-8, industry, and post-secondary education.
Together, VU, Toyota, and Purdue IN-MaC have made a significant investment in the students of Southwest Indiana by supporting the placement of over 40 studios in local schools.
The VU Design and Innovation Training Studio is a leading part of an initiative providing support for educators to help their students see the potential opportunities for Industry 4.0 careers and for students to explore STEM pathways. Specifically, the training studio will be incorporated into VU’s bachelor’s degrees in Education programs to ensure that VU Education graduates have exposure to and understanding of the way that technology is changing so that they can help support the development of a workforce ready to assume roles in Industry 4.0 and beyond.
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