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Welcome everybody to the Makertrip Journal!
...number two. Today we've been to Pittsburgh
and we visited various makerspaces
but we'll start today with a question from our viewers.
And the question is: "Interesting, that makertrip journal of yours..."
...but what is a makerspace exactly?"
Jurjen, can you elaborate?
Yes, a makerspace is a physical space
with machines to make all kind of things
and these machines are made available for the makers
and the makers could be anybody
from small kids, to adults
to professionals, to hobbyists.
We're visiting various makerspaces in the States
they are here in all sizes and colors
from professional to a small group of enthousiasts
who come together as we will see in this journal
And we want to start our own makerspace in Rotterdam
So today, it's Pittsburgh, and we visited 4 locations
We started with Techshop
and Techshop is a chain of makerspaces in the States
They are located in San Francisco, San Diego...
...they are in Texas...
and also in Pittsburgh, where we got a tour from Ollie
A very nice Techshop
all brand new machines, looking very good
Machines to do anything, also machines that are not immediately necessary
like a hole puncher machine
to punch holes in metal.
Yeah, that's something you can also do with an electric hand drill
but hé, if the machine is there, you can make holes a lot faster
Yeah, a lot of big machines also
like a waterjet, english wheel
all machines need for woodworking
shopbots, you name it...
so you can really go at it.
What was very cool of the tour
was the fact that there was somebody there from SolePower
They crowdfunded 60.000 dollar recently
for a device to power your battery while you walk
Yeah, that was something Ollie also said...
that since Techshop opened, the local inbutor "has gone wild"
They couldn't keep up with all the startups and new ideas that flooded in.
So, you see that Techshop is catalyst for innovation in that region.
Then we went on to HackPittsburgh, what can we say about that?
Well, it's the other side of the spectrum
It sure is the other side of the spectrum!
Techshop is very professional, on the other hand you have...
...the amateur side, and that was HackPittsburgh.
Yeah, it was just a garage with all kinds of machines
some older than the other
It was very cozy, looked like the people that use the space...
have a lot of fun, but well...it's a bit...
It's one big mess, with lots of stuff lying around
where you can tinker.
But it was good to see that the maker movement is alive and well
That's also what we saw with the next space we visited
the labs, is an initiative from Carnegie Mellon University
where 5 mentors want to stimulate creative learning for teens
What is creative learning?
It's mainly about making things, working with electronics...
...robotics, but also video editing, stop motion, making music.
Everything that has to do with creativity is stimulated in the Labs
Basically a new function for a library
Right, they are located in various libraries
where kids can come in and join programs or just work on their own projects
We also learned how it was funded, there are national science grants...
local science grants and also various foundations to fund these initiatives.
There are various kinds of funding, both governmental and private funds
specially focused on making, creative learning
to provide people with the opportunity to develop themselves...
children the opportunity to practice creative learning
and adults the opportunity to make what they want to make.
And you see that a whole industry is built around it
there is money, there is a market
And that's what we saw at the last space we visited
the Makeshop in the Children's Museum
A space where children between 4 and 12 can make things.
And here again we saw that the Makeshop is all about...
...learning by making things.
You can make things with a makerbot, a lasercutter...
lot's of textile, sewing machines, hand tools
Just to make things, being creative.
What was interesting about MakeShop was their program for teachers
to teach them about new technologies
Teach the Teacher it was called
And they create programs with which the teacher can teach...
in his class about these new technologies.
So the outreach of such a MakeShop becomes much bigger.
This was the Maker Trip Journal part 2. In the next episode...
We go to the bankrupt city Detroit
and we will visit the Maker Faire.
So in the next episode everything about what the Maker Faire is..
...what we have seen and what we have learned.
See you then!