Omaha tech library Do Space to award $10,000 to 3 fellows

This summer, community technology library Do Space, is awarding three Innovation Fellowships to Omaha-area educators. The three fellows will each receive a $10,000 stipend to create innovative projects in 3D printing, robotics, and software development. Recipients of the stipend will have access to Do Space’s resources and a materials budget to help with the creation…

Photo courtesy of Do Space.

This summer, community technology library Do Space, is awarding three Innovation Fellowships to Omaha-area educators. The three fellows will each receive a $10,000 stipend to create innovative projects in 3D printing, robotics, and software development.

Recipients of the stipend will have access to Do Space’s resources and a materials budget to help with the creation of their physical projects. Fellows will present their projects to the public upon completion of the fellowship.

Do Space executive director Rebecca Stavick said this if the first fellowship program that Do Space has run and they believe it’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity. A lot of fellowship programs are national or statewide, but Do Space really wanted to keep the investment hyper-focused on Omaha.

“I don’t know of anything else quite like this in the country, so for us to offer something like this locally is a pretty big statement,” she said.

The Do Space Innovation Fellowship is open to teachers, professors, librarians and library workers, and other educators in the Omaha metro area. Anyone studying in those fields or earning teaching degrees or certificates, as well as educators at nonprofits, are also eligible to apply.

The fellowship will allow recipients to explore and design innovative projects for local schools, libraries and learning centers.

“Our hope that the end results that comes out of the [summer fellowships] will help the local schools and libraries,” said Stavick. “[We also hope] they will help to supplement the tech learning that’s already out in the community.”

Photo courtesy of Do Space.

Do Space believes there’s value in investing in Omaha’s tech talent through projects like the Do Space Innovation Fellowship, and providing them with a platform to innovate and try new things. The Innovation Fellowship is made possible by private donors.

“The Innovation Fellowship is an investment in people who want to make a difference in the community,” said Stavick

She added that educators and people who are helping kids in schools, helping seniors learn new things in the library system, and working with nonprofits are valuable to Omaha.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for these kinds of fellowships in community spaces to engage people and give them that platform to try new innovative things.”

The application deadline is March 31. Applicants need to include a proposal outlining the project, problems to be solved, outcomes, and deliverables.

The Innovation Fellowship supports Do Space’s belief in empowering the community through access to technology and innovative learning experiences. Stavick said that Do Space would love to run more fellowship programs in the future.

The response so far to their first fellowship program makes them hopeful that it will be a success.

“We’re really excited to see the interest in the program,” said Stavick.

For additional application and eligibility information, please visit Do Space.

Christine McGuigan is the Associate Editor of Silicon Prairie News.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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