Feb.4, 2014
The White House will hold its first-ever Maker Faire later this year! The White House announced its first-ever official Maker Faire, aiming to highlight both the remarkable stories of Makers and commitments by leading organizations to help more students and entrepreneurs get involved in making things.
More details on the event will be announced soon, but you can already get involved by sending pictures or videos of your creations or a description of how you are working to advance the maker movement to maker@ostp.gov, or on Twitter using the hashtag #IMadeThis.
Maker Faire, launched in 2006, attracted a record 165,000 people attended the two flagship Maker Faires in the Bay Area and New York in 2012. "Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new" - describes Maker Faires itself. In 2013, over 60 community-driven Mini Maker Faires were organized around the world, including Tokyo and Rome. Dale Dougherty, one of the original Maker Faire founders will be involved in planning the White House's event.
The White House also holds an annual science fair, and it appears it would work together with Maker Faires and similar events to further promote the maker movement. "By democratizing the tools and skills necessary to design and make just about anything, Maker Faires and similar events can inspire more people to become entrepreneurs and to pursue careers in design, advanced manufacturing, and the related fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). " notes the White House in its blog.
Image: Wikipedia
Later this year, the Administration will launch a series of initiatives to get more people involved, announced the White House. For example:
Companies could support Maker-spaces in schools and after-school programs, provide their employees with time off to serve as mentors, be "anchor tenants" for makerspaces like Ford's partnership with TechShop, or, for multi-channel retailers, provide access to consumers for innovative Maker start-ups.
Universities could add a "Maker Portfolio" option as part of their admissions process, create more Maker spaces on campus for students and the community, and support research in advancing the development of better hardware and software tools at national, regional, and local levels, such as the equipment in MIT's FabLabs.
Mayors and communities could pursue initiatives like design/production districts that allow entrepreneurs to create more jobs or initiatives that expand access to Marker spaces, mentorship, and educational opportunities through their schools, libraries, museums, and community organizations.
Foundations and philanthropists could provide matching grants to communities that are interested in embracing Making, in the spirit of Andrew Carnegie's support for public libraries. In particular, the Administration has called for special efforts to ensure that girls and under-represented minorities are included in such STEM opportunities.
One of its inspiration is Joey "Marshmallow" Hudy who wowed President Obama with his marshmallow cannon during a visit to the White House in 2012. At 14-years-old, he attended the White House Science Fair where the President took a turn using the contraption he had made - the "extreme marshmallow cannon". Joey then handed the President a card with his credo: "Don't be bored, make something."
Image credit: White House
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