Shelburne Farms will host the Champlain Mini Maker Faire September 26-27 at the Coach Barn, a beautiful late 1900 barn with stables, a courtyard, and open indoor spaces adjacent to Lake Champlain.
A Maker Faire brings together families and individuals to celebrate the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset and showcase all kinds of incredible projects. At Maker Faire, you’ll find arts and crafts, science and engineering, food and music, fire and water but what makes this event special is that all these interesting projects and smart, creative people belong together. They are actively and openly creating a maker culture.
In its simplest form, Maker Faire creates conversations with Makers. It is a show-and-tell format for people of all ages that bring out the “kid” in all of us. Maker Faire is a community-based learning event that inspires everyone to become a maker and connect to people and projects in their local community. Yet, Maker Faire is a “fair” that is fun and engaging.
Call for Makers
Sign up for the 2015 Champlain Mini Maker Faire.
The Champlain Mini Maker Faire was developed by Doug Webster – Aerospace Engineer, President the National Association for Workforce Improvement, State Education Coordinator, and host of the TV STEM education series, “A Renewed Culture of Innovation” – with help from area businesses and community groups (including the Vermont Makers, Vermont Technology Alliance) with a mission to build a renewed culture of innovation.
ChampBot
The ChampBot Challenge will return to the 4th annual Champlain Mini Maker Faire at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn on September 26 and 27. Registration to compete is now open.
Building a ChampBot is your opportunity to show off your technical skills and creativity by creating or modifying a remote controlled robot that represents your interpretation of Champ.
The challenge is to navigate a series of buoys and obstacles on the shoreline of Lake Champlain to earn points and impress the crowd. The organizers encourage entrants to use sound effects, lighting, pyrotechnics and/or visual wizardry to put on a show. Champ may be scary, humorous, stylish or something completely different.
Points will be awarded for design and completion of the course and obstacles. The winner of the $2,500 grand prize will be the bot with the highest total score. Prizes will also be awarded for second and third place, as well as several honorable mention categories.
New this year: Project Development Awards up to $500 are available for materials based on need and the strength of proposal. Proposals must be submitted by May 24, funds will be awarded by June 16.
“The ChampBot Challenge was a completely new endeavor last year, and it was a lot of fun. We’re excited to see what folks come up with this year, so start working on your bots!” says Executive Event Producer Doug Webster.
Robots for Kids Too were the winners of the first-ever ChampBot Challenge in 2014. Seven teams created homemade ChampBots to navigate the series of nautical obstacles and challenges.
For more information, to register and to apply for funds, visit champlainmakerfaire.com/champbot/.
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