What We Do

Shared with a modular classroom in the front and a fully equipped workspace in the back, the Innovation Center boasts an area of exploration, expansion, and discovery of diverse skills and interests. Aimed at serving as a space to help students support their studies and explore their interests, the Innovation Center is open to all members of the Menlo College community. From exploring new or existing personal hobbies, creating prototypes, working on class-related projects, or just an area to work on homework, network, and/or meet new people and find common ground, the Innovation Center offers endless opportunities that can help you do it all! 

Each time you enter the Innovation Center, we ask that you scan the QR code with your Menlo App to record your attendance. This will allow you to rate and share comments about your experience as well as allowing the Innovation Center to prove that it is being used, supports, and is of value to the college community. This proof gives us the backing we need to get supported both logistically and financially by Menlo College to continue offering the services and supplies we provide to you without charge!

Because this is a shared space with the whole Menlo College community, it is imperative that we all work together to ensure the space stays neat and tidy. For this reason, we have strong "Leave it how you found it" rule. That is to say that if the Innovation Center is set up in a certain way, you are free to rearrange things for your needs so long as you are sure to return it how you found it. In the (hopefully) rare occasion that someone before you doesn't clean up after themselves, or if something breaks or leaks that could either cause a safety concern or cause damage to the facilities, it is your responsibility as a member of our Innovation Center community to clean up the space before engaging in any activities of your own. Please also be sure to report any of these issues too whenever you observe them so that Innovation Center management can be aware of it and have it recorded.

Ironically, Menlo College, a business school, is located in the midst of Silicon Valley, in the town of Atherton, which has a strict "Residential Only" policy. this means that the Innovation Center may NOT be used to run a startup company on campus. Additionally, it is important to note that users of the center may NOT charge for products nor for services provided through the Innovation Center.

Procedure

Mistakes are part of the innovation process, it's how we learn, grow, and evolve. We encourage all our members to explore and try new things without the  fear of failure. If you find yourself in a situation where you made a mistake, that's a cause for celebration! Throw your hands in the air, say “TA-DA”, celebrate, reflect, and try again (quietly if a class is in session). It doesn't mean you aren't good at whatever it is you were trying to do, rather, it means you're one step closer to doing it correctly and reaching your goals!

TA-DA Bin

We make mistakes, instead of being ashamed of it and hiding or throwing them away, in the Innovation Center, we embrace them and put them on display for all to see! After making a mistake, we want to show others that we TRIED, we made progress toward our goal of accomplishing something amazing! When it comes to 3D printing, there are plenty of opportunities to mess up a print throughout our own process, whether it be through our own fault, that of the machine, or something else, we hopefully take away two things: 1. A learning opportunity of what went wrong and how to fix it for the next time. 2. A new addition to the TA-DA Bin!

That's the sound that means to listen up and pay attention, one of the Innovation Center officials have an announcement that will likely impact you in one way or another. When you hear this, it is important that everyone immediately pauses and sets down what they are doing in a safe way and pays attention to the Innovation Center official who rang the chime.

We have various tools to offer a broad range of opportunities for various types of interests. Our wide and diverse range of equipment is aimed at helping you explore the practical world of Innovation, Business, Psychology, and/or Hobbies beyond the confines of the classroom or textbook.

If you find there is a piece of equipment that is sorely being missed in the Innovation Center that you and other members could greatly benefit from, we want to hear it! Find an Innovation Center official to propose the idea to and we can see what we can make happen!

What is a piece of equipment without supplies? Gathering dust! The Innovation Center provides a limited array of supplies for your projects on which you may experiment and explore. 

In order to stay well equipped in the Innovation Center, we ask that all members keep a keen eye out for any supplies that are running low. If you notice that some supplies are running low, it is each member's responsibility to submit a "Supply Request" form (linked HERE). What if someone else may have already submitted a form? No worries, submit one of your own to ensure it was recorded!

In the occasion that your project needs a filament color that isn't one of the Innovation Center default colors (Black, White, Blue, and Gray), students are encouraged to purchase their own rolls of filament, after checking with an Innovation Center official that it can be used with our printers. 

Alternatively, if you are unsure if your supplies are eligible to be provided by the Innovation Center, you can always try to submit a "Supply Request" form or ask an Innovation Center official if certain supplies could be covered. If the supplies you are seeking turn out that they can't be covered by the Innovation Center, you will have to purchase them yourself. However, this may be an opportunity for you to apply to the Student Development Fund (linked HERE) to request some additional funds to purchase your supplies!