We will be adding updates to the beginning of this news post as they become available. Information in newer announcements supersedes the information in older announcements.
As the UC Berkeley campus begins to reopen, the Jacobs Institute will continue to follow all campus guidelines and protocols to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and faculty. As of May 2021, the following plans have been set in place for the summer and fall of 2021. Please keep in mind that these plans could change pending campus and public health guidelines; major updates to Jacobs reopening plans will be posted here.
Unless otherwise noted in the Schedule of Classes, classes will resume regular in-person instruction. The Jacobs Makerspace will reopen following capacity guidelines set in place to align with campus-wide policies. For the wider campus community, we will continue to offer Jacobs Project Support and Jacobs Self Service Printing options. For Jacobs-affiliated courses, programs and student groups, we plan to reintroduce the Maker Pass program, which allows for hands-on instruction and usage of our fabrication equipment. We will also be reopening the Research Maker Pass program. Students will be able to get support from Jacobs technical and program staff both in-person and online, as our staff return to campus.
As of August 2021, masks will be required for all indoor meetings, courses, and events.
Summer 2021 will continue with remote instruction and our Makerspace will continue to be closed for physical access. Our remote fabrication services (Jacobs Project Support) and remote 3D printing services (Jacobs Self Service Printing) will continue to be offered to research groups, students enrolled in summer courses, as well as the general campus community. Our Design Specialists will also continue to provide remote project support through JPS and Virtual Office hours. Our student advisors and other program staff will also be working remotely and reachable through online channels during the summer.
As of November 2020, we will continue with remote learning for the spring 2021 semester, following campus and county-wide health guidelines. Our Jacobs Project Support system and other tools for project facilitation will continue for student work and research. We will update this page with any new information about instruction and campus access as we receive it from campus officials. To learn more about JPS and other project support, visit our Makerspace Access page.
The fall 2020 semester will be facilitated through remote learning, and Jacobs Hall will remain closed to non-essential community members. For project support, we have initiated the Jacobs Project Support (JPS) and Makerfleet systems, for student work and research. Please visit our Makerspace Access page to learn more about this program.
The Makerspace will remain closed to non-essential community members for the Fall 2020 semester. We remain dedicated to supporting research, our Design Innovation courses and students, and other members of the Jacobs Design Community at this time. To do so we have set-up a job shop model for project facilitation and support, which will be managed by our Design Specialists. The full details on how to apply and gain access can be found on our Makerspace Access During COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place page.
For the Fall semester, access to the Makerspace will be limited to Research Maker Pass holders, DES INV course projects, and Innovations Catalysts grantee projects. Due to limited staffing and social distancing space constraints, this access will also be limited to a job shop model where projects are submitted to, and fabricated by, our technical staff. Students will have the ability to meet remotely with technical staff, and arrange for remote pick-up for their parts.
For project mentorship, students can also continue to schedule remote office hours with Design Specialists. For a resource list of alternative fabrication resources in the Bay Area, please visit the Making at UC Berkeley map.
The Bay Area’s shelter-in-place guidelines will continue until further notice, in compliance with the City of Berkeley, our main public health authority that governs campus operations. In addition to the City of Berkeley, we are also working under guidance from Alameda County, the State of California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal bodies, and the UC Office of the President. We will continue to update this news post at more information becomes available.
The Bay Area’s shelter-in-place guidelines have now been extended through May 31.
Based on Campus’s guidance around reduced campus operations continuing into the summer, we will not be offering Maker Pass access this summer. The Jacobs team will continue to utilize our Makerspace and technical resources to support critical research, and hope to expand to support course work and general research, as guidelines allow. Remote maker resources still available this summer- Virtual Workshops and remote office hours with our technical team will continue into the summer session. Because the Maker Pass program is not running this summer, we will not have a summer Maker Pass Announcements mailing list. Instead, we will send all makerspace-related updates to the general Jacobs student community mailing list. Sign up for it here.
Following guidance from state, county, and campus leaders, the Jacobs Hall makerspace will remain closed for the semester. Due to the unforeseen closure, the Jacobs Institute will be refunding 50% of the semester access fee to all spring 2020 Maker Pass holders; please visit this page for future information.
Based on today’s shelter-in-place announcement for the campus and Alameda County, Jacobs Hall will be fully closed starting tomorrow, Tuesday 3/17 through at least Tuesday, 4/7. This decision covers the entire building, including the makerspace, teaching studios, meeting rooms, and staff offices.
This development means that we will not be able to facilitate Jacobs Hall makerspace access for materials pick-up as previously communicated. Please rest assured that, regardless of when the shelter-in-place is lifted, we will not be removing any materials from the space until everyone has a chance to reclaim stored items.
As the situation continues to progress, we will work to keep you up to date on any changes that will affect the Jacobs Institute community via email and this news post.
The following is a message from Bjoern Hartmann, the Faculty Director of the Jacobs Institute:
As all of you are aware there are serious and rising concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
Under guidance from campus leadership and with support from the College of Engineering, we are closing all Jacobs Hall makerspace access starting 3/14. We will remain closed at least through the end of Spring Break, 3/29, and will send another update by that date.
We don’t take this step lightly, but it is necessary to protect the health and safety of our students, staff, faculty, and their families and communities.
Our decision is aligned with similar actions taken in other student shops and workspaces across campus.
We are grateful for the staff support that has enabled the lab to operate over the past week and look forward to a time when we can come together and celebrate the creative spirit of making again soon.
Be safe and remain creative!
We have arranged for Maker Pass holders to pick up any work left at Jacobs Hall during the following times:
During the closure period, please be reminded that remote design consultation for Maker Pass holders with our Design Specialists is still available here.