In the media
We’re a community of lifelong learners at MakeICT, and one thing some of us learned in August is how difficult it can be to take a serious photo for the newspaper. Our attempts at toning down the giggles made us look a little scary… sorry about that!
So what put us on the front page? Well, John Bardo, Wichita State University’s President, recently announced plans to create an Innovation Campus in Wichita. During his announcement, President Bardo gave a brief summary of the maker movement, and he went on to explain how a maker space can serve as a powerful resource to enable members of the community. It was very compelling.
Naturally, we couldn’t agree more!
When The Wichita Eagle found out that Wichita already has a makerspace, and that several people responsible for its existence have very close ties to Wichita State, they wanted to learn more about us. There were a few phone calls and some photos, but we certainly didn’t expect to be front page news!
A makerspace on WSU’s campus is still a couple of years out, but it seems like everyone is open to some collaboration. We’re always looking forward to any opportunities we have to make our community better!
And then, as if that wasn’t enough attention for one month, our Vice President and founding member, John Harrison, was featured again for his work on the design plans for the Douglas underpass.
MakeICT is fortunate to have board members who are intelligent, diverse, and involved. What a perfect example of having the right people at the right time!
In the community
Our flagship workshop for August was our Little Free Library building workshop. Several people came to learn and build – we even had some local experts with tips, advice, and knowledge about having and maintaining a Little Free Library in Wichita.
The Little Free Libraries we built during the workshop will be donated to TOP Early Learning Centers to help improve their neighborhoods around Wichita. They aren’t quite ready yet. We still need to put the final touches on – good thing we have lots of good help!
Other goings-on
We also hosted an OpenSCAD workshop for the 3D printing enthusiasts out there. OpenSCAD is like a programming language for 3D modeling. It’s very handy for creating precise models and modifying parameters through its procedural nature. Very cool stuff!
Tom has launched a new special interest group for people interested in building their own CNC machines. Tom’s well-known for his making-abilities, but he’s basically internet famous for his 3-axis CNC Instructable. As of this writing, that thing has 1,444,414 views. WOW!
You can learn more about this special interest group by visiting its wiki page here: http://makeict.org/wiki/index.php/Makers_CNC.
Lastly, we’re currently running a survey to determine what Wichitan’s want in a makerspace. So far, it looks like there’s a lot of interest in a woodshop, a laser cutter, and a better 3D printer. Now, this isn’t just your plain-ol run-of-the-mill survey. It has a fun, creative side to it! Check it out, and share your creation with us!
Let us know what YOU want in your makerspace: http://makeict.org/surveys/equipment-survey/