Thousands Attend 2nd Annual New Jersey Makers Day

Expanded to two days of programs, a bigger, better New Jersey Makers Day returned to the Garden State for the second year. An estimated 25,000 people attended events at over 250 libraries, schools, museums, makerspaces, and A.C. Moore locations across the state. With everything from robots to marble runs, 3D printing to sewing, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

High school robotics teams were out in full force, sharing their creations with attendees. At the John F. Kennedy Library, Piscataway High School Team 224, “The Tribe,” were showing off their robot, which could pick up and throw a basketball. As one team member explained, NJ Makers Day was an opportunity to spark an interest in robotics in younger kids and share what he’d learned.

There were also many fun items for children to explore. One popular new addition this year was the Ozobot, a tiny robot that can be controlled by hand-drawn colored lines, allowing children to create mazes and even program the device using color. Building sets like Strawbees, Roominate, and Lego bricks were on hand in many locations, right alongside high-tech toys like SnapCircuits and littleBits, so that kids could create.

Of course, many groups brought their 3D printers for demonstrations. Some old-fashioned technology made an appearance too, with everything from trains to phonographs on display. And Makers recombined technology in new ways. One of the best: New Jersey Makerspace Association’s interactive video application, which used a Makey Makey as a controller and allowed participants to rotate their image and add artistic filters in real-time.

IEEE was highlighting their recently launched Augmented Reality (AR) app. When using a smartphone camera, an AR app allows the user to see and interact with new visuals, games, and other information layered over the real world. For example, the “IEEE Standards and The City” app transforms a normal mural into a moving picture where users can guide “Tesla” through four different scenarios in a city environment.

But it wasn’t all technology. The Warren County Headquarters Library hosted Pancake Art demonstrations, chromatography crafts, and woodcarving activities. Sewing, embroidery, and jewelry-making were also popular in many locations. Many attendees built large, twisty, turning marble-runs and roller coasters out of tubes, foam and duct tape. And Nerdy Derbies, where participants were given things like toilet paper rolls, pasta, and metal washers to create mini cars, were fun for everyone.

“We had a fantastic second NJ Makers Day this year,” said Doug Baldwin, New Jersey Makers Day organizer and Emerging Technologies Librarian at the Piscataway Public Library. “We had some visitors spending hours making, building and tinkering—really delving into the work. If last year was about introducing the concept and getting people interested, this year was definitely about rolling up the sleeves and really focusing in on the activities themselves. What one, now two days, is hopefully building is a blossoming community of organizations ready to support and continue to nurture all the makers in the Garden State.”

NJ Makers Day would not have been possible without the support of its sponsors: Library Link NJ, NJIT, PSEG, A.C. Moore, Bird Brain Technologies, BuildTak and Soldering Sunday, or its partners: Manufacture NJ, MakerStudio@GLS, Make It Yourself, NJ Makerspace Association, Hillsdale Library Makerspace, 5eTek, Bergen County Makerspace, NJ Library Association, NJ State Library, Statewide Network for New Jersey’s Afterschool Communities, The Community Corps, Sylvan Learning, and TCF.

Check out some of the fun below.

New Jersey Makers Day was back for its second year on March 18 and 19th.
Photo credit: Doug Baldwin

Many locations held 3D printer demonstrations for attendees, like this Makerbot demo at Piscataway Public Library.
Photo credit: Doug Baldwin

IEEE showed off its Augmented Reality offerings at the Piscataway Public Library.
Photo credit: Sandra Roberts

Fiber arts projects, like these felt flowers at Warren County Headquarters Library, were popular with beading, embroidery and sewing activities at many locations.
Photo credit: Kelly Durkin

Many attendees had the opportunity to control robots provided by various makers.
Photo credit: Sandra Roberts

Legos, like those available at the Catherine Dickson Hofman Library in Blairstown, are always a popular building toy at Maker events.
Photo credit: Patti-Ann Lally

Locations across the state held various version of the classic Marble Run activity, where participants use toilet paper rolls, funnels and other materials to create contraptions.
Photo credit: Caitlin Kosciolek

A young attendee learns to use clippers as she builds a miniature car for a Nerdy Derby.
Photo credit: Doug Baldwin

Children and parents built mini cars to compete on a rain gutter race track at this Nerdy Derby.
Photo credit: Kelly Durkin

The NJ Makerspace Association brought a variety of projects from members, including a Makey Makey video experience.
Photo credit: Sandra Roberts

The new Ozobot line follower was a popular addition to the robots at NJ Makers Day.
Photo credit: Sandra Roberts

Pancake art was a fun addition to Warren County Headquarters Library activities.
Photo credit: Kelly Durkin

Doug Baldwin, with the team at Piscataway Public Library, organized NJ Makers Day 2016.
Photo credit: Piscataway Public Library

Attendees build fun marble roller coasters.
Photo credit: Sandra Roberts

Roominate building kits were popular among girls and boys as they created light-up houses.
Photo credit: Caitlin Kosciolek

A member of the NJ Makerspace Association used a high-tech laser cutter to create a traditional plate for printing.
Photo credit: Sandra Roberts

Snap Circuits and Little Bits were popular at many locations for those interested in electronics.
Photo credit: Doug Baldwin

Soldering Sunday, a NJ Makers Day sponsor, provided their popular Pixel Pals for attendees to try.
Photo credit: Doug Baldwin

Attendees created stop motion animations at the Warren County Headquarters Library.
Photo credit: Kelly Durkin

Introduced last year, Strawbees let kids use simple drinking straws to build colorful creations.
Photo credit: Caitlin Kosciolek

Like many other high school robotics teams, Piscataway High School Team 224, “The Tribe,” brought their competition robot to share with the public.
Photo credit: Doug Baldwin

Makers of all kinds attended NJ Makers Day 2016, like Girl Scout Troop 80849 who volunteered for the day. Miniature trains were popular at many locations.
Photo credit: Sandra Roberts

Not all demonstrations were high-tec. This Victrola was a fascinating bit of history.
Photo credit: Doug Baldwin

Wood carving demonstrations showed attendees how to make your own walking stick.
Photo credit: Kelly Durkin

Yarn crafts, like this God’s eye activity, were popular at NJ Maker’s Day.
Photo credit: Kelly Durkin

The official NJ Maker Day Robot greeted visitors at the Piscataway Public Library.
Photo credit: Doug Baldwin