The Make48 competition is making its way to Bentonville, Arkansas, this September, with NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) hosting the event.
With the recent addition of the Integrated Design Lab on campus, NWACC provides students and the community with a space that fosters innovation, collaboration, and the realization of creative ideas. Make48 has chosen NWACC as the ideal host location for its collaborative innovation competition, where eight teams will compete to build a working prototype centered around the theme of the Great Outdoors.
NWACC: Empowering Lives and Strengthening Communities
NWACC is renowned for providing quality and affordable higher education to individuals in Northwest Arkansas and the surrounding areas. Since its establishment in 1990, NWACC has experienced significant growth, expanding from offering classes to 1,200 students in rented facilities to becoming the largest community college in Arkansas. Today, the college serves over 8,000 enrolled college-credit students across its locations in Bentonville and Springdale.
One of NWACC's notable additions is the Integrated Design Lab, a physical makerspace that enables students and the community to put their design skills into practice. The lab offers a range of programming that encourages innovation, collaboration, and the testing of creative entrepreneurial ideas. With a focus on areas such as fine arts, design, construction, and business, the Integrated Design Lab aligns perfectly with the goals of the Make48 competition, making NWACC an excellent choice for hosting the event.
“The Make48 event is an opportunity for us to invite the community to NWACC’s Integrated Design Lab to collaborate, compete and use design-thinking principles to problem solve and test out their design ideas,” said Jennifer Swartout, NWACC’s associate vice president of general education. “These types of skills are foundational to functional design, which is important in the workplace and throughout our community.”
The competition’s theme will revolve around the Great Outdoors, inspiring participants to create innovative solutions related to outdoor activities. As teams gather in Bentonville to tackle the challenge, they will have access to expert tool technicians and high-tech equipment, providing them with the necessary resources to bring their ideas to life.
Collaboration is emphasized as teams with diverse skills, materials, and equipment work together to transform ideas into reality. The competition promises a fast-paced and educational experience, encouraging participants to think creatively and collaborate with one another.
The Make48 competition at NWACC will be part of the City Series, with Bentonville being the fourth stop. The winning team will receive a cash prize of $2,000 and advance to the nationals in November 2023, along with the second-place team. This opportunity provides participants with a chance to showcase their talent and innovative ideas on a national stage.
To learn more about the NWACC’s workforce training, academic programs and state-of-the-art facilities, visit www.nwacc.edu.
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