AnnMarie Thomas- Making Makers

On Active Optimism and the Maker Movement

If you've ever seen me speak or talked to me for more than a few minutes, you've probably learned that I am fascinated by the Maker Movement and its potential for positive change in education/learning/life. I care about this so much that I spent years interviewing adult makers about their childhoods (which turned into the book "Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the future of Innovation." Over the past few years I have had an amazing time giving talks and workshops about my views on the Maker Movement and its potential. Most of these audiences have consisted of individuals who are new to the concept and are still trying to figure out what a Maker is. My take on the Maker Movement, and Makers, can be summarized by the following list of observations. (Sorry to plug here... but this list is the backbone of my book. Each of these topics is explored in depth, with examples, in individual chapters of Making Makers.)

• Makers are curious.They are explorers. They pursue projects that they personally find interesting.

• Makers are playful.They often work on projects that show a sense of whimsy.

• Makers are willing to take on risk.They aren’t afraid to try things that haven’t been done before.

• Makers take on responsibility.They enjoy taking on projects that can help others.

• Makers are persistent. They don’t give up easily.

• Makers are resourceful. They look for materials and inspiration in unlikely places.

• Makers share: their knowledge, their tools, and their support.

• Makers are optimistic. They believe that they can make a difference in the world.

These talks are fun to give. The audience usually makes things, and we all leave (hopefully) energized. But... it's an intro talk. This summer I was invited to give the keynote for the 2015 Open Hardware Summit. I was honored to be asked, but also terrified. This audience would consist almost entirely of people who are well versed on the Maker Movement and who (most of them) would consider themselves part of it. What could I say that would be useful to them?

I spent months thinking about it, and wrote a talk. Then, a few days before the conference, I deleted the talk. Why? Because I realized that I had an opportunity to give a talk I've been wanting to give for a while, but hadn't worked up the nerve to give yet. A talk in which I could question whether I myself agreed with all aspects of the above list. In particular... I struggle with Optimism. Should we be optimistic? In light of global warming, wars, current refugee situations worldwide... am I really an optimist? Crud... if I'm not, can I keep giving this talk?

I decided that I didn't want my talk to be a simple "rah rah" pep talk about the Maker Movement. My audience was full of Makers. I'd rather make my talk a call to action for them, and myself. I'm proud of this talk, and would love for you to watch it and give me your opinions on it. If you'd rather read the quick summary version, though, see the list after the video. (And a spoiler alert... after reflection I realize that I am optimistic about the future.) HINT: SKIP forward to 6min10sec for the beginning of the talk, and to miss some of the audio hiccups!

2015 Summit Early Morning Sessions from OSHWA on Vimeo.

Here is the list I created, in the talk, of how those of us that consider ourselves makers can bring the old list to life.

• Makers are curious: If you aren’t happy with a situation… take the time to really learn about it.Ask questions.Do your homework.Complex problems rarely have simple causes.

• Makers are playful: Don’t underestimate smiling. (My thoughts on play would easily fill another talk, so I left this point... for now.)

• Makers are willing to take on risk: Stop worrying about doing the perfect thing and do SOMEthing. Someone has to be first.

• Makers take on responsibility: If you want to change something, change it. Don’tjust blame othersBe honest with yourself about the roles you play.

• Makers are persistent: The first thing we do rarely works. Try again. Try something different.

• Makers are resourceful: Find partners in places you haven’t looked before.

• Makers share: Don’t just share the happy/successful stuff. Share the struggles.

• Makers are optimistic. But our optimism must be active, not passive, for it to have impact.

Since this talk I've been reflecting a lot on what I mean by active optimism. It's not hard these days to find people complaining about how other people are doing things wrong, or why the world is a horrible place. I'm sick of the complaining. Complaining doesn't get us anywhere. Blaming other people doesn't get us anywhere. What gets us somewhere? Action. If something upsets you, do something about it. Don't act blindly, but learn as much as you can about all sides of the issue. So yes, I'm okay calling myself an optimist. But you probably won't hear me saying that because saying it won't change anything. I'd rather act just act optimistically and do my part in making positive change.

A New Project: Design/Tech Exhibitions at UST

My first faculty position was at Art Center College of Design, where I got to attend the amazing exhibitions that director Stephen Nowlin put on at the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery. I even got to collaborate -with a geologist and an artist- on an installation there! I was always inspired by the exhibitions in that space.

Ten years later, in October of 2014... I found myself part of a group of faculty looking at floor plans for a new engineering space at UST. Where the plans showed an empty lobby, I saw a chance to create our own exhibition space. Amazingly, the dean and some generous donors went along with the idea, and the students in my Playful Learning Lab and I set out to figure out what our first exhibition should be. As someone who is passionate about design, engineering, and sustainability, I desperately wanted to do an exhibition on the work of the Long Now Foundation. Thus, I was delighted when the team at the Long Now agreed to loan us some artifacts, and help us with the exhibition.

 

I am happy to announce that, as of September 8, our exhibition "Designed to Last: A Look at the Projects of the Long Now Foundation" is now open at UST. On display you can see:

• a Rosetta Disk
• portions of 10,000 year clock prototypes (including a solar synchronizer, a time cam, core samples from the clock build site, and more)
• a UST Library based on the Long Now's Library for Civilization. Each book in the bookshelf includes a bookmark telling which UST staff/faculty member suggested the book, and why. At the end of the exhibition, UST students will be invited to choose a book to take home.

Since our lab motto is "We Play Well With Others," we used the opening event (photos here!) as a chance to bring in some of our collaborators. Thus, we had exhibition related food made by Chef Eric Rivera and an orrery cake by Chef Kate Sigel, music/tech demos by tenor Shahzore Shah, custom serviceware by undergrads in the lab, and Squishy circuits to play with.

 

On Tuesday, November 3, at 7 pm , Dr. Laura Welcher, director of the Rosetta Project, will be giving a lecture (open to the public) at the University of St. Thomas. (Follow me on Twitter, or email me, for details about this and other exhibition related events.)

Want to visit the exhibition with a group or for a private tour? Great! Email me, and we'll have one of the student curators contact you.

 

So much for change...

Every summer I bring my daughters to one of the towns I grew up in so they can spend a few weeks seeing relatives and friends while I write. It's a great chance for us to see people and places that I grew up with in New Jersey and Pennsylvania since we live in MN the rest of the year.

We also go to the same stores that I used to go to when I was my daughters' ages. Last year, my daughters and I had a long discussion about the aisle signs in our go-to store for things we need. 

I spent a lot of time thinking (and writing) about why these signs bothered me so much, and then sent the following note to the store:

> Hello.
> 
> I have been visiting your ______ store my entire life. Now I bring my daughters there. 
> However, I am always disturbed by the "girl's toys" and "boy's toys" signs on the aisles.
> As a woman engineer professor who works with educators and children it makes me incredibly frustrated to see the toys labeled by gender.
> 
> Please consider changing the signs to something more descriptive of the toys themselves? 
> "sports" "building" "Arts and Crafts?"
> 
> Sincerely, 
> AnnMarie Thomas

I was thrilled when I got this reply:

>Hi AnnMarie ,

>        Your message has been received and understood . It might take some time but we will make >changes . The signs  have been around for a while . I have to think on it because you have to put at >most 2 words which describes what is in the isle . The description needs to help customer locate what >they are looking for without asking  store  personnel . 
>                                                                                         Enjoy Your Summer

<name removed>

 

 

Tonight I  walked into the store (with my daughters) for the first time in 13 months and saw this...

 

So much for change. Sigh.

Sweet Synergies

 

Last week I had the chance to take my first trip to Seattle. The American Society of Engineering Education was holding its annual conference there and two of my Playful Learning Lab undergraduate research students (Emma Koller and Lauren Van Beek) had both a paper* and workshop accepted. (Two peer reviewed acceptances for a national conference. Excellent work Emma and Lauren!)

The conference was wonderful, but I was particularly excited about the location. Two of my long-distance collaborators live in Seattle and this was a great excuse to meet up with them in person. And to pull off a surprise involving two seemingly different fields...

E-Textiles, felting...

I have long been a fan of the amazing hand-felted art of Moxie Lieberman.  I've seen her work online, and in-person at the Exploratorium.  Here are two of her pieces that I fell in love with:

I was so intrigued that I reached out to her a few months ago and we exchanged some surprise packages, and emails. We then decided that we have to find a way to do a project. Conveniently, one of my research students (the above mentioned Emma Koller) is working in the field of e-textiles. Thus we have embarked on a project to <secret to be announced in a few months>. As Emma and I were going to be in Seattle for ASEE, we asked Moxie to host a felting class for us and some of our friends (and collaborators on unrelated projects.) 

But for a three hour class, of course we'd need snacks. Right?

and Pastry!

I also know two chefs in Seattle! Chef Eric Rivera of the Huxley Wallace Collective (who I collaborated with last year when he was still the Director of Research for the Alinea restaurant team)... and his amazing fiancé Kate Siegel, who has just opened the Seattle-based Sweet Tooth Cake Company .

Unbeknownst to Moxie, I asked Kate to make a dozen cupcakes based on Moxie's work. I knew they'd be amazing, but I had no idea just how amazing they would be. Look at those images above of Moxie's felt work, then check out these cupcakes:

Moxie was definitely surprised! We couldn't resist a picture of her about to take a bite of the "Hungry" replica. 

After an amazing felting class and some beautiful pastries,  I had the opportunity to spend a bit more time with Chefs Kate and Eric, and even visit one of their relatives' farm, complete with baby goats. Which gave Kate another opportunity to make a cake.... one that is possibly the most amazing cake that I have ever seen.

 

In case you think my opinion of Kate's artistry is biased by friendship, check out the article that Eater Seattle published about her today!

(And yes... I am the luckiest engineering professor in the world to have such amazing friends, collaborators and students.) 

______________________________ 

*"Implementing and Evaluating An E-Textile Curriculum in an Engineering Summer Program for Girls," Emma Koller, Lauren Van Beek, Deborah Besser, Siddika Selcen Guzey, AnnMarie Polsenberg Thomas 

Virtual Maker/Book Group Visits: Making Makers

Since Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation was published this fall, I've had lots of fun giving talks and interviews about it. I've also been delighted to learn of classes, teachers/parents groups, and book clubs that have been reading it or considering using it in the coming months. However, I've also been trying to cut back my travel. Thanks to the magic of Google hangouts and Skype, though, I am happy to make"virtual" visits to your book, teaching, or parenting group to discuss the book. There are so many great stories to share that didn't make it into the book! 

The discussion can include topics such as popular projects for young makers, encouraging maker mindset in kids and adults, making in the classroom, or an in-depth look at any of the maker traits discussed in the book.

If your teacher, parent, or book group would be interested in having me Skype/Google Hangout into one of your meetings for a discussion of "Making Makers" please contact me! There is no charge for such visits, though I do ask that your group buy at least ten copies of the book (from the vendor of your choice.) I can be reached at [email protected]

On Collaborations (and pics from a fun current one!)

I have found that many of most enjoyable projects (both for students in my classes and for my own research) come from collaborations outside of the university. Thus, every semester I try to find an interesting collaboration for the first group project in the "Engineering Design and Graphics" class I teach to (mostly) first year engineering students and engineering education students.In past semesters we've collaborated with dance troupes, museums, and medical nonprofits.

This semester we are collaborating with the Works Museum. Thursday, March 12 was project launch day and the college students were told only what time the field trip bus was leaving- not where we were going or what the project would be. Thus at 9:55am they got onto the bus and found a group of preschoolers waiting for them! They spent the bus ride talking to their new friends, and upon arriving at the Works Museum we met the Senior Director of Learning and the exhibit fabricator. Then... we played! (Here is a lovely article on our joint field trip.)

Both the college students and the preschoolers will be working on proposals for a redesign of the "Light/Dark" area at the museum. Stay tuned for presentation updates later this semester!

(PICTURE CREDIT: Mike Ekern/University of St. Thomas)

 

on International Women's Day...

As a mother of two daughters, I paused a bit this morning and thought about what International Women's Day (today) means to me and whether I should post something. Over the past year, I've been surprised at the volume of feedback I have received over a blog post I wrote back in June. As I reread the post this morning, I realized that it still sums up my thoughts as a mother, and a "woman in STEM" (as I, and those like me, seem to be characterized quite often.)

I spent eleven hours this weekend with amazing K-12 teachers who gave up their free time this weekend to come to the engineering class I teach for educators. These men and women work so hard to educate, inspire and empower their students and it is an honor to know them. Education is one of the most important parts to achieving equity, and I so hope that every boy and girl gets the chance to have a teacher that inspires them to pursue making their mark in the world.

Thus, in honor of International Women's Day, I am posting a link to these thoughts. I would love to hear your feedback. (And now, I'm going to go bike and play LEGO with my girls.)

Thoughts on gender, engineering, and parenting...

 

World Maker Faire 2014 Presentations

World Maker Faire in Queens, NY, is 5 days a way and my daughters and I are looking forward to attending. The following are the talks/workshops that we're giving.

FRIDAY, September 19

Informal "wear something you made" meetup. A long standing tradition in my house is that if you want to go to a Maker Faire (or more precisely, have mom fly you to a Maker Faire in a different city) you need to both give a talk or workshop, and make one of the outfits that you wear there. This year our friend Lenore Edman from Evil Mad Scientist is joining us in our "make your own Maker Faire clothes" challenge and we invite other Makers to do the same. We will be gathering participants for a group photo at the Friday night Maker dinner. 

SATURDAY, September 20

11:30am-12:00pm (Education Stage):

Build a Squishy Circuit

My daughters Sage (6 years old) and Grace (4 years old) will be giving a hands-on talk and demonstration of Squishy Circuits. This presentation is geared at children and Sage will explain the basics of electrical circuits.

 1:15-1:45 pm: (Make: DIY Stage)

"Making Makers: Kids, Tools and the Future of Innovation" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4:30-5:00 pm: (NYSCI Auditorium)

"Does Being a Maker Matter?" with Woodie Flowers 

 

 

 

 

 

What role can making play in developing a generation know for their gracious professionalism and ability to actively make a difference in the world around them? Woodie and AnnMarie will discuss how being a maker allows us to mix technology and society in a way that relates to the concept of a liberal education for the 21st Century.

Woodie Flowers is the educator who has most influenced my career path. Ever since lucking into his section of 2.007 as a junior at MIT, I have realized how fortunate I am to know him and to have had my thoughts on education challenged by him. I'm giddy to have this chance to give a talk with him!

 

 

SUNDAY, September 21

 

3:00-3:45 pm (Make: Live Stage): "Making Makers (panel)"

Most makers had pretty interesting childhoods! In this panel makers will tell us about what they were like as kids and how that relates to a maker mindset.

 

 

 

Help Squishy Circuits!

When we started the Squishy Circuits project in 2009 my undergrad research students and I never dreamt that it would take off the way that it did. We're delighted to know that there are Squishy Circuit builders young and old, around the world! We always knew we'd freely share all of our methods and information, but we realized that there were many people (particularly schools and parents) who wanted to be able to buy a complete kit, not just download a list of necessary parts and instructions.

 

My then undergraduate student, Matthew Schmidtbauer started the Squishy Circuits Store to meet this demand. It's been amazing to watch how hard Matt has worked to make the business a success. In order to grow his offerings, and expand the business, he is competing in the "Mission Main Street Grants" challenge. Below, I will share Matt's story of starting a company while in college, and what he would do if he won one of these grants. Please consider voting for him here.

My Squishy Circuits journey began in early 2011 when I was an electrical engineering student at the University of St. Thomas and had just started working with AnnMarie on the Squishy Circuits project. From the very beginning, I thought that Squishy Circuits was a fantastic idea – and I was very excited to be working on it. After attending several events, I realized that many people were looking for a single source for all of the components required for Squishy Circuits. As my mom stated, “I wouldn’t have bought this for you growing up. I wouldn’t know what to call these things, let alone where to buy them.” 

 Although developing a business plan, sourcing parts, and building a website were not necessarily things I thought I would be working on during my free time that spring, I started learning more about the process and finalized the Squishy Circuits Store idea. By June I had gained permission from AnnMarie, Sam (Squishy Circuits’ previous student researcher and recipe developer), and St. Thomas to continue forward. On June 15^th, I filed the paperwork for Squishy Circuits Store LLC.

Armed with a small loan from my parents, I ordered raw materials from China. Upon their arrival, it became quite clear that “some assembly was required” and my parents and I began producing Squishy Circuits Kits out of their basement and garage. By September I had the first versions of the Squishy Circuits Kits available online and had started selling them. Learning to juggle school, work, kit production, and everything that filled the spaces in-between proved to be challenge, but, looking back, I can only think of it as a positive, learning experience.

Fast-forwarding to present day, I am proud to have sold thousands of Squishy Circuits kits in over 20 countries around the world. Although no longer a student researcher for Squishy Circuits, I continue to be a proponent of the program and am a firm believer that learning can be accomplished through playing and self-discovery.

To be honest, I am not sure if I ever expected Squishy Circuits Store to grow to the size that it has already. But, as Squishy Circuits continues to gain momentum in schools, libraries, and dining rooms    around the world, I would like to continue to expand Squishy Circuits Store too. This grant would allow me to redesign the kit to break into new    markets    and create additional products that support different Squishy    Circuits    activities. More specifically, it would allow me to build up    inventory so that I can start marketing at educational supply    conferences and trade shows. Until now, I have been slowly growing by reinvesting the profits that I make, but with this grant I would    have the capitol I need to scale Squishy Circuits Store to a new level much more quickly. Although I never anticipated that I would    be running a company that provides hardware for electrical education using play dough, I am excited for the opportunity and am confident that Squishy Circuits Store’s future is a bright one.

 Again, please vote here!

 

3D Printing Help Needed this week!

Update: July 15, 2014: Thanks for all the replies friends! We found a printing solution for this week!

One of the things that I am incredibly proud of at the University of St. Thomas is our STEPS camp. Every summer nearly 300 middle and high school aged girls participate in this weeklong, residential summer camp FREE of cost. They live on UST's campus, use the dorms and other facilities, and spend a week doing projects in our engineering and science laboratories!

This year my colleagues at the Center for Engineering Education, and my research students in the Playful Learning Lab, have introduced new Wearables content for STEPS. STEPS participants are learning e-textiles, soldering, coding, CNC machining, and many other topics. (I'll write more about STEPS later this summer!)

CALL FOR HELP:

Each Tuesday, 40 girls take an introduction to CAD and 3D Printing class taught by my amazing research students Jon and Ali. Then, between Tuesday night and Thursday morning's STEPS graduation, students Jon and Joe print out each girl's 3D model. It's been going great all summer... until now. Two of our printers are currently broken and we don't have the capacity to print each girl's project (typically a small bracelet, cuff or pendant to go with the Wearables thread for this year's camp). Down to one printer, we just don't have the ability to do all of this week's printing in time. This week's campers arrived today!

So... we're calling on all of you for help! If you are in the Twin Cities, have a 3D printer (that prints in PLA or ABS) and would be willing to print a file (or a few files) between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning, and drop the part(s) off at UST by Thursday morning at 10 am, we would be INCREDIBLY grateful for your help. Please email me at apthomas<AT>stthomas.edu for more details.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Sincerely,

AnnMarie Thomas