CHURCH ROCK, NM – On April 25, 2019, the
“The Diné Maker Nation Faire had a unique way of incorporating our Diné culture that aligned with our emergence story,” said KARMA’s Outreach Coordinator, Lavern Moore. “This was a great experience for our Navajo community to encourage present and future Diné makers. The best part of the event was witnessing the excitement in the younger students’ eyes.”
KARMA’s mission is to elevate Navajo entrepreneurs through advance manufacturing, which encompasses 3D printing, subtractive manufacturing and metrology. In doing so, KARMA has participated in several outreach initiatives, such as its annual Innoventure Product Challenge that tasked middle and high school students to create a toy for Navajo Nation Head Start. The efforts have helped pave pathways for students in advanced manufacturing careers from school to employment.
Two of the schools that participated in the Innoventure Product Challenge in February, Crownpoint Middle School and St. Bonaventure Mission School, participated in the Diné Maker Nation Faire. St. Bonaventure showcased a chat box toy that helped describe animals in the Navajo language, while Crownpoint Middle displayed a sustainable transportation model for a solar scooter.
KARMA was accompanied by New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center and the Sandia National Laboratory at the event in promotion of Studio G, which is a student business accelerator that assists college students in become entrepreneurs. Through KARMA’s partnership with NMSU Arrowhead Center programs like Studio G are offered at NTU. The booth was visited by over 150 attendees throughout the day, where individuals received information about the program.
To learn more about KARMA, please contact Lavern Moore at lkmoore@navajotech.edu or Keanu Jones at k.jones1@student.navajotech.edu.
A copy of this press release can be downloaded here.