GCI is supported by both its own GCI Makerspace – open 20 hours a week, including some evening and weekend times – and the Keck Center for Science and Engineering.
» Our Facilities
Makerspace
Traditional disciplinary boundaries are broken in the GCI Makerspace. One team may be working on a virtual reality game while the team next to them is getting ready to sequence DNA. Equipment in the space supports in-depth work in biology, chemistry, electrical engineering, environmental science, manufacturing and software engineering.
We have everything from 3D printers to virtual reality software to professional scientific equipment. Students in the GCI can even apply for small grants to purchase the materials that they need to realize their projects. You can learn more about some specific equipment below:
3D Printers
With Schmid College launching its new 3D printing class, Chapman students have just begun to explore the possibilities of this exciting technology. GCI students currently have access to:
- Two Ultimaker S5 3D Printers
- A Pulse XE 3D Printer
- Glowforge Pro 3D Laser Printer
- A Carbide 3D Desktop CNC Mill
- 3D Object Scanners
- Over 700 hand tools
Using our 3D printers, students have built an insulin pump, artificial bones, pieces for a musical laser harp and much more.
Digital Hardware
In addition to Alienware Desktop Computers, Flatscreen TVs, and Oculus Rift VR Headsets, the GCI makerspace gives students the opportunity to build interactive electronic devices using Arduino and Raspberry Pi open source hardware and software.
Students have used this hardware to make everything from video games to realistic simulations of the surface of Mars.
Additional Scientific Tools and Instruments
The GCI makerspace provides unique access to industry-standard fume hoods, microscopes, biological incubators, thermocyclers and standard microbiology equipment, giving GCI teams opportunities to conduct experiments and fully explore areas they’re curious about. Students use aquaria to study the effects of ocean acidification on algae and assay different antiseptic treatments to determine their effectiveness at killing bacteria.
Many schools don’t give their undergraduate students access to such instruments.
Keck Center for Science and Engineering
The Keck Center features state-of-the-art research laboratories and open collaborative spaces where students, faculty and research fellows can work together. Walking through the halls of Keck, you’ll see students writing on the walls and working together on plaza steps and outdoor patios.
A 140,000 square-foot building, the Keck Center has more than 25 research labs that students can use as they work toward their GCI goals.
Contact Us
GCI Program Co-Director
grandchallenges@chapman.edu
Alexandra Lewandowski
GCI Administrative Coordinator
grandchallenges@chapman.edu
Support the Grand Challenges Initiative
You can help our students undertake the most complex problems of our time by donating. Your support will help provide the resources they need to take on those challenges in concrete and meaningful ways.