NoVa Makers Infiltrate The International Spy Museum

NoVa Makers Infiltrate The International Spy Museum
Photo: Emily Shaw
With me (Left to Right) are NoVa Maker Faire organizers Adam Reiss (Safety and Security), Amy Shaw (Co-Producer), Jeanne Marshall (Co-Producer), Brian Jacoby (Organizing Committee Chair). (Photo: Emily Shaw)

What better way to kick off MAKE’s recent call for spy tech than Northern Virginia’s (NoVa) Mini Maker Faire pre-party at The International Spy Museum? The NoVa Mini Maker Faire will be held this Sunday, March 16th, 11 AM – 4PM at South Lakes High School and Hughes Middle School in Reston, VA. Several thousand tickets have already been sold and organizers expect the event to sell out.

Many makers from the over 80 exhibitors joined us for a day at the museum. Here are some pictures from the reception that followed.

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Spy Trivia: The NoVa Mini Maker Faire and Nova Labs are a 15 minute drive from the CIA in Langley.
Notable Makers (Left to Right) included Bob Coggeshall from Small Batch Assembly (with wife Pam), Justin Shaw from WyoLum, and  Glenn Mossy from DC Robotics. Photo: Emily Shaw
Notable Makers (Left to Right) included Bob Coggeshall (with wife Pam) from Small Batch Assembly, Justin Shaw from WyoLum, and Glenn Mossy from DC Robotics. (Photo: Emily Shaw)
Photo: Emily Shaw
“Everyone do your best James Bond.” (Photo: Emily Shaw)
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Maker Faire shirts were unveiled! (Photo: Emily Shaw)
Secret Agents from South Lakes High School’s Culinary Arts Program provided catering.
Secret Agents from South Lakes High School’s Culinary Arts Program provided catering. (Photo: Emily Shaw)

If you want more maker-related spy-tech in your life and live in the Washington, DC area, you’ll have your chance this Sunday. The Spy Museum will be demonstrating various spy gadgets and will be sending their top spy, Robert Wallace as the keynote speaker! Wallace has been dubbed the “Q” of the CIA. After spending time under cover, Robert served as director of the Office of Technical Services (OTS), where spy gadgets are created.

OTS scientists developed systems for agents and case officers to communicate with each other using secret writing, short-range radio, microdots, subminiature cameras and satellites. They designed and built audio bugs, telephone taps and surveillance systems. They made tracking devices, weapons, disguises and fake documents, and conducted experiments in character assessment and even “thought control”.

For more information and to order NoVa Maker Faire tickets, visit:

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Meanwhile, if you’ve got a  sneaky spy tech projects you’d like to share, please send your ideas to sholbrook@makermedia.com

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Justin is the Founder and first CFO of Nova Labs, a nonprofit makerspace and community innovation lab located in Reston, VA. He can be reached at leto.justin [at] gmail [dot] com and on twitter @letojj.

View more articles by Justin Leto

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