Kristen Baumlier

On the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH is the beginnings of a Think[box] 1.0 – a place for ideas and “tinkering.” I visited Ian Charnus, who is Operations manager of the new center last week – and got a tour of the current facilities.

The center will be a place where engineering, design, arts, science, medical and business communities can interact in one location and will be a place where educators, advisers, mentors, and facilitators can assist students and faculty into becoming entrepreneurs and technology leaders.

Currently at the entrance of the Glennan bulding on the CASE campus is a display from the  “What’s in your think[box]? Contest, a contest where student teams from CASE created design proposals of what the entrepreneurial activities in the new space will look like, and what activities it should house.

The proposals included plans for these activities:

• traditional and distance learning courses
• fab labs and tinker space
• digital and traditional manufacturing
• creative design
• formal and informal meeting areas
• multi-media conferencing
• relaxing and eating space
• student competition space
• performance facilities
• gallery display areas

One of the proposals has a large whiteboard space, a lego building area, and a giant pool of balls.  These types of fun activities might seen frivolous – but many of the high-tech technology industries provide fun and game areas at the workplace, since it encourages employees to think creatively and also often gets people to stay at work longer.  All of the proposals had “green roofs” and a cafe/coffee space.

The announcement of the winner of the contest will occur soon, and the winners will get $2000.

Charnus has been hard at work ordering and setting up new equipment for the center which is currently located in the downstairs of the Glennan Building on the CASE campus.  A 3d printer, laser cutter, new computer workstations, an impressive workshop with every size of nuts, screws and bolts and new worktables and chairs are in the space.

The center is in its infant stages – but there are big plans. Case Western Reserve University received a $5 million gift from Joseph B. Richey II and A. Malachi Mixon III , founders of Invacare Corp. to support a building to house the university’s “think box” programs—a collection of initiatives that seek to support Case Western Reserve University and Northeast Ohio’s culture of innovation.

Some of the current and planned facilities include the Prentke/Romich Collaboratory to support prototyping and translating concepts into products, the Sears Undergraduate Design Lab to support electronics, the Reinberger Design Studio with high powered computers and a mini-milling center, the Bingham Student Workshop which will support undergraduate courses and will have machines and equipment to support wood and metal work, and the Virtual Worlds Lab, which has high-powered gaming machines and gaming/interactive development.

Charnus has experience with innovation.  He has done his own projects which include the Tesla Orchestra:a high-voltage fusion of music and technology using a tesla coil, the waterfall swing” an interactive waterfall swing set, and other projects.  He is an alumni from the Engineering program at case in 2005.

Charnus talked about how the center is meant to be a exciting place of collaboration. A dynamic place where students and community members, engineering and design, and innovation are fostered.

Got a great idea or just want to get inspired? You’re in luck – Think[box] 1.0 is coming our way.

Links:

Think[box] 1.0

Video about Think[box}1.0

Tesla Orchestra Project