NASA Forward Maker Camp at NASA Ames Research Center
This area is reserved for Ames-specific guidance. We can use this space to plan, streamline, coordinate and post relevant information that will help us to create an awesome event at NASA Ames. Our dates are Thursday and Friday, May 12, 13, a week before the Bay Area Maker Faire.
The challenge to NASA is to do what we do best: INNOVATE. This is a call to all “doers” and “makers” at Ames. Sign up to one of the existing problem statements, or add a new one. Projects may or may not already have NASA funding by the date of the Camp. The funding opportunities posted on this wiki provide incentives to submit new innovations, and the Camp can be the place to work through some of the submission details. It’s up to YOU. You drive the process.
This is an inclusive event, similar to an open house party, where the participants come and go as they please throughout the two day (un)camp. Private citizens are also welcome to participate by:
* using social media sites like flickr, youtube and twitter to document and share your on or off-site experiences – #NASAmakercamp
* contributing ideas to help improve the projects
* serving as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
* serving as judges for the local showdowns
Sign up to one or more of the projects on the wiki or show up on the day of the event and we’ll help you find a good match. College students are welcome to attend, but you must be 18 years or older.
With approval from your supervisors and project leads, NASA projects can fall into one of the following categories:
* official NASA projects that can use input and ideas
* home builds relevant to NASA
* prototypes, designs or ideas that may subsequently be submitted as proposals to future funding opportunities
If you are not an Ames employee but would like to participate in a Camp at your own Center, please contact Nick Skytland or the POC listed on the wiki for your Center. If you see a project at another Center that interests you, by all means sign up. Cross-Agency Camp teams are highly encouraged. The projects do not have to be technical and can be at any phase of development.
On the 2nd day, there will be an opportunity for the projects to present their work to a panel of judges. The top 1 or 2 projects will have the opportunity to present their projects to NASA Senior Executives at a later date. Venues: NACC and Barcelona Cafe and Hacker Dojo 10 am to 4:30 pm both days with Chase Park as a backup/overflow location for larger installations or projects. Participation will likely be limited to ~100+ external participants, advertised via Eventbrite, and limited to about 20+ projects that present no safety hazards, i.e, no blow torches or rocket launches! 🙂 Keep it simple, keep it safe and be sure that all of your work is approved for public access. The event is based on the notion of “open space” work models, so there are no rigorous schedules or predefined breaks. There will be lots of flexibility to wander out to Chase Park or meet at Peet’s as long as you post your location on the open agenda so that citizen participants can easily find you.
The competition’s open agenda will be posted for signup at 1 pm on Friday, May 13th. There will be time for 10 presentations to the Maker Camp judges, starting promptly at 1:30 pm. We encourage teaming and partnering throughout the event to ensure that your project will be seen, as we anticipate many more projects than presentations. The criteria for inclusion in the competition (e.g., must have at least one private citizen teammember, etc.) will be posted at the start of the event. We’ll move quickly through the presentations to give us time to consolidate the ranking and ratings and present the final results by 4:30 pm on Friday.
Deadlines and Supporting Information
2011: A Maker Space Odyssey — From Maker Space to Outer Space
The Forward Maker Camp has been accepted for participation @ the upcoming Bay Area Maker Faire on May 21 and 22. More details about the Faire can be found here . If you are planning to participate in the Ames Camp and would like to be included as part of the Faire the following weekend, please clearly note that on your problem statement. Be aware that the Bay Area Maker Faire will be held on a weekend, so your participation in that off-site event will have to be pre-approved by your supervisor and project leads. Kids of all ages attend the Faire, so this is a great way to reach out and promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in a very accessible, very engaging way.
Contact: Megan Eskey
NASA Ames Research Center CTO
megan.a.eskey@nasa.gov
650.604.4863
