The Maker Lab will bring together technology, science and art at its first ever Maker Fest.
Maker Fest is a free event that is open to the public Thursday, March 31 from 4-9 p.m. in the Maker Lab. The event will showcase the creations of 12 makers from the ACU and Abilene maker communities while also giving attendees the opportunity to engage first-hand in the world of making.
“We want to give makers an opportunity to show off what they’ve been working on,” Nil Santana, director of the Maker Lab, said.
Alongside the display of creations from faculty, students and a few projects from local high schools, there will also be food demos from Aramark by Cody Johnson as he shows guests how he cooks with liquid nitrogen. The event will feature interactive making stations where guests can learn how to do things like button making and screen printing, as well as on-site competitions like belt sander racing and rubber band propelled 3-D printed boat racing.
Santana said the event is purposed, in part, to continue encouraging current makers and the surrounding maker community.
“The idea of making things up, building, experimenting and trying is so much fun, I think it’s going to be a very fun event,” Santana said.
Brent Reeves, associate professor of management science and computer science, will have the quad-copter he’s spent several months building on display at Maker Fest. Reeves said Maker Fest is giving the public a look into creative processes they may have never seen before while also boosting the drive of makers to keep creating.
“It’s fun to go to maker fairs because you see what other people are doing,” Reeves said. “By the same token, it reminds you of the responsibility you have to show your creations.”
The event will also give Reeves the opportunity to introduce others to the world of making.
“I hope to recruit people,” Reeves said. “Seriously, 50 cents of foam board can make you a quad copter. I feel good about the opportunity to talk to people who hadn’t really thought about that before. Overall, Maker Fest is a really good inviting platform.”
