Weißes Haus plant eigene Maker Faire

Das amerikanische Weiße Haus kündigte eine eigene Maker Faire für 2014 an.

Die erste offizielle Maker Faire im Weißen Haus soll noch heuer im selbigen stattfinden. Bereits 2012 sorgte eine im Weißen Haus abgehaltene “Science Faire” international für Aufmerksamkeit. Die neue Maker Faire soll durch den prominenten Ort weitere Personen zum Engagement in neue Technologien motivieren.

Weitere Details sollen in kürze folgen.

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). The Administration is already partnering with companies, non-profits, and communities to make the most of this emerging movement. The Defense Advanced Projects Agency, or DARPA, collaborated with the Veteran’s Administration to support the creation of a TechShop in Pittsburgh, where members can access cutting-edge tools for making, andprovided memberships for thousands of veterans. With funding from the Department of Labor, the AFL-CIO and Carnegie Mellon University are partnering with TechShop Pittsburgh to create an apprenticeship program for 21st-century manufacturing and encourage startups to manufacture domestically. Similarly, with support from Americorps and leading companies and foundations, the Maker Education Initiative is working with schools and youth-serving organizations to provide students with access to Making. Last summer, the group engaged more than 90,000 youth and families around the country in Making activities. The White House has also honored Maker Movement leader Dale Dougherty as a Champion of Change.

Later this year, the Administration will launch an all-hands-on-deck effort to provide even more students and entrepreneurs access to the tools, spaces, and mentors needed to Make. There are many ways in which, in addition to the contributions of thousands of individual Makers, companies, universities, mayors and communities, and foundations, and philanthropists can get involved. 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 districtsthat 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.

Interested in getting involved? Email your thoughts, questions, or creations to maker@ostp.gov.

(c) Picture & Link: White House