young makers

Oakland High Schoolers Need Your Power!

Oakland High Schoolers Need Your Power!

Tony, Carlos, and Raul, students at Lighthouse Community Charter School in Oakland, have taken on an ambitious senior project they plan to exhibit at Maker Faire: converting a gas-powered truck to electric power. They’ve been working afterschool and weekends and already gave up at least one holiday to work on the conversion. These young men exemplify the self-motivation we see in so many maker projects.

Big Weekend for Bay Area Young Makers

Big Weekend for Bay Area Young Makers

We have another two wonderful Young Maker/Open Make events happening in the San Francisco Bay Area Saturday, March 16. Just like last month, you’ll have to pick just one of these two happenings because they occur simultaneously on opposite ends of the Bay. Each offers a flurry of activity that starts at 10am and ends with an inspiring “meet-the-makers” panel discussion.

The events are at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose and Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. Each museum is also hosting a plussing session, where registered Young Makers can develop and finesse their projects for Maker Faire Bay Area.

Turnin’ Vermin into Learnin’

Turnin’ Vermin into Learnin’

Here’s a fun new take on 3D visualization and design: Make Your Own Gopher! Months ago, my colleagues and I were brainstorming the curricular connections we could make between making and high school coursework. Anatomy could be a rich area of overlap: students could laser cut slices of skulls and print mini skeleton models to have the kids explore skeletal structures, for example.

Dan Sudran, the executive director of Mission Science Workshop, was way ahead of us.

Two Bay Area Young Maker Events This Weekend

Two Bay Area Young Maker Events This Weekend

It’s my pleasure to tell you about two fantastic Young Makers / Open Make events happening in the San Francisco Bay Area this Saturday, Feb. 16. But be ready for a twinge of disappointment: You’ll have to pick just one of these two wonderful ways to spend a Saturday, because they are happening at the same time! Each site is an action-packed flurry of activity that starts at 10am and ends with an inspiring “meet-the-makers” panel discussio