The Atlanta Mini Maker Faire surrounded the Tech Green at Georgia Tech on Saturday, attracting an estimated 10,000 attendees to see rockets, robots, steampunk, 3D printers, woodworking, kinetic sculptures, art bikes, lawnbots, a mobile makerspace and much more. With beautiful weather and a friendly vibe, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
There were 137 maker exhibits. Billy Allen, a Georgia Tech student, said he thought he could just walk quickly through the exhibits but “instead I spent 10 minutes watching chickens and then I spent 10 minutes watching 3D printers.”
Lead organizer Kimberly Varney of The Foundery said that the whole day was “fantastic.” She said that Georgia Tech was “a good partner and a good place for Maker Faire because the community sees it as a place for tech innovation.” Gabe Ochoa of the Invention Studio at Georgia Tech Mechanical Engineering Department coordinated the services provided by the University, and he (@Gabe_Ochoa) tweeted that “planning paid off for an amazing event.”
Varney added that Atlanta is “getting ready to explode” with more people moving into the urban center. Maker Faire helps to “capture the inherently creative spirit and energy of the city,” she said. She quoted Scott Henderson of Hypepotamus, a startup incubator, that Atlanta represents “disconnected awesomeness” and Maker Faire is a great way to begin making connections.
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