RCC student employee Curtis Haymon (left) demonstrates Makerspace equipment to visitors.

On Sept. 16, Roxbury Community College held an opening ceremony for its new Makerspace. Typically only available at larger, private institutions or paid spaces, the workshop space now offers the only predominantly Black institution in the Northeast free access to four computer-aided design (CAD) workstations, nine 3D printers and virtual reality technology.

The technology and associated training will help support students’ career growth in fields ranging engineering, health care, aerospace, design and architecture and construction.

Early planning for the Makerspace got kicked into gear almost a decade ago. At the time, RCC had a joint grant with the University of Massachusetts Boston to offer biotechnology workshops.

Hillel Sims, RCC’s associate vice president of academic affairs and dean of STEM, recalled musing one day over lunch to his UMass Boston counterpart that he’d love to run more than just one workshop a year and expand beyond biotech into robotics or 3D printing.

What then expanded into a partnership to run 3D printing workshops out of UMass Boston’s Makerspace has grown into a dedicated lab at RCC that’s supported over 350 students and several high schoolers since its soft launch last March.

“I’ve mentioned it before to people, it’s just a shame that every time we take out this equipment and we use it — whether it’s a week or a day — we end up putting it back into storage. … People aren’t learning from it,” Sims said, reflecting on the early dream to free some of these tech tools from collecting dust while helping students build job skills in growing sectors.

Several groups of students have even returned time and time again; some are considering starting a Makerspace club on campus.

“Honestly, the thing that really surprises me the most are the things that I just had no idea that the students were interested in,” Sims said, naming for example a hydroponic carousel prototype that one day could be made in metal or nylon.

The space is run by Curtis Haymon, a student employee who maintains equipment and conducts training for newcomers. The engineering student who grew up in Mission Hill said in a statement that “once someone gets the hang of it, they come back and tell others about it.”

“He’s got such drive and initiative. … There’s a bit of repair work and problem solving, balancing time and everything — it’s just so much. I can’t quite put completely into words just how impressed I am with this student and what he’s managed to achieve with the role that he’s been given,” Sims said of Haymon’s work.

“The Makerspace is an example of new college-wide commitments and priorities that address an ever-evolving world. It also solidifies RCC’s historic commitment to providing our students with long-term economic mobility and empowering our community with education that matters,” RCC President Dr. Jonathan K. Jefferson said in a statement.`