Benicia Mini Maker Faire will once again put innovation on display

(Originally published in the 4/13/16 edition)

   Last year, Benicia Makerspace—the 501(c) 3 nonprofit group that brings local creators together in a space where they can share and build innovative, new ideas— held its first Mini Maker Faire at Benicia Middle School. It was such a success that, of course, a followup was inevitable. Like many great sequels, expect this one to retain what you loved about the first installment while building on it and bringing plenty of things you have not seen before.

   After all, creating things you have not seen before is what Benicia Makerspace is all about. 

   The organization began as the brainchild of President Aaron Newcomb and Liberty High School science teacher Nicci Nunes, who also serves as the organization’s secretary. It started as an internet fundraising campaign in 2012 and was formally registered as a nonprofit group in 2014. It began operating out of a portable on the grounds of Benicia Unified School District before moving into a permanent home at 4592 E Second St. in the Industrial Park last summer.

   “That really helped us build up momentum and get us to where we’re at today, where we have all kinds of physical hardware and software available for our members to use whenever they want,” Newcomb said. 

   Newcomb says the goal of Makerspace is to reintroduce the concept of hands-on learning to the Bay Area, something he feels has fallen by the wayside in recent decades. 

   “What we want to do is encourage both kids and adults to come back to learning in a real way,” he said. “By real, I mean a physical way, so not just in a classroom setting but to be able to apply what you learned in a classroom in a physical environment in a physical way.

   “If you’re learning advanced mathematics, you can come in and work on a project that applies to those theories that you’re learning into a product,” he added.

   What Newcomb and Nunes have done is create a space in Benicia where creators and entrepreneurs can come together to share their innovative ideas and be able to see them come into fruition. The space has all kinds of equipment that people can use to create their ideas, including woodworking tools, welding materials, computers and 3-D printers.

   “You can actually develop a product or part and take it over to the 3-D printer and print it out,” Newcomb said. “Within a few hours, your idea has gone from just an idea to an actual thing you can hold in your hands and test as a prototype.”

   Through Makerspace, people have created objects in the areas of robotics, alternative energy, Raspberry Pi computers and electric vehicles. 

   Newcomb said one of the most unique things he saw created in the studio was an articulated hand in which a button was pressed to make the fingers and joints curl up. The maker of this particular item is 13 years old. 

   “It’s really incredible to see someone of that age make something that a lot of adults would never dream of being able to make,” Newcomb said. 

   The articulated hand will be featured at this year’s Maker Faire, which will feature a cornucopia of interactive exhibits that will appeal to the entire family. Think of it as a mini-Exploratorium with just as many objects that adults and children will find equally enthralling.

   Some of the returning exhibits from last year include the giant bubble station and a station to launch paper rockets. There will also be a variety of new exhibits this year. Bay Area Engine Modelers will be brining in scale models of various engines. Tapigami creator Danny Scheible will be demonstrating how many sculptures can be created using just masking tape.San Francisco-based Riveropolis will have a 45-foot stream where people can create boats out of various materials to float and see how durable they are.

   There will also be a visit by some droids who traveled from a galaxy far, far away. Full-scale models of R2-D2 and BB-8 from “Star Wars” will be roaming around and interacting with attendees. People who attend the Faire will also have the chance to win a remote-controlled BB-8 toy from Hasbro. 

   Finally, Benicia Makerspace will have its own exhibit: an 8 foot by 16 foot laser maze. Participants will have to crawl through without touching the lasers and reach the end within the time limit. 

   Newcomb hopes the Faire will turn participants on to what is possible and also inspire them to start creating things in their garage or elsewhere.

   “If you think back to companies like Apple or Hewlett-Packard, they started in someone’s garage because they had an idea that sprang forward and they worked on it,” he said. “They weren’t afraid to try things out with their hands,” he said. “we hope people walk away saying, ‘Hey, this was a cool project. I’m going to go home and make one of those too.’”

   The Mini Maker Faire will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, April 16 at Benicia Middle School, located at 1100 Southampton Road. Tickets can be purchased at BeniciaMakerFaire.com, and they will actually be cheaper when purchased ahead of the event than on the day of. Tickets purchased before Saturday are $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 4 to 17 and $36 for families consisting of two adults and three children. For more information, contact Newcomb at aaron@BeniciamakerSpace.com or Nunes at nicci@BeniciaMakerSpace.com. 

   

Drones, droids take over Benicia High School

(Originally published in the 12/15/15 edition)

   On Wednesday, Dec. 9, Benicia High School was one of the many worldwide participants in the Hour of Code, an annual event in which users learn how to code hands-on for free by logging on to Code.org. The goal is to teach students skills in computer science.
   Benicia High students participated in variety of workshops. In the Active Learning Space, Annette Fewins showed students how to fly drones around using iPads. In Room B-106, Andreas Kaiser's robotics class designed remote-controlled jumping robots that they piloted around the quad. Finally, in Matt O'Reilly's classroom, students created a replica of the new BB-8 droid from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" that they were able to control.
   The Hour of Code was started in 2013, with more than 100 businesses coming together, including Apple which hosted Hour of Code at all of its stores around the world. For more information on Hour of Code or computer science statistics, visit Code.org.

(All photos by Nick Sestanovich)

Matthew Turner students learn creative, technical skills

(Originally published in the 12/11/15 edition)

   All this week, students at Matthew Turner Elementary have been learning important skills in areas like math, science and engineering by having fun.

   Dec. 7 to 11 was the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) Week where students of all grades participated in a variety of activities that taught them about these areas. The week was funded by Parent Teacher Association, and various parents and community organizations volunteered to assist.

   Although this is the first year the school has done a STEAM Week, the school had done a STEM program for third through fifth graders in past years, Matthew Turner Principal Leslie Beatson said.

   “We had a separate art day, and this year we brought it all together, made it STEAM and did it for a whole week,” she said. 

   Every day of the week has different activities. On Monday, the students had an assembly in the Multi-Purpose Room called Kid Science Safari, which provided them with a number of experiments and hands-on activities.

   “It was sort of like the Exploratorium in mini on wheels,” Beatson said.

   Tuesday was an in-school STEAM Day, where every class had six 30-minute workshops in the areas of STEAM. Throughout the day, third graders attempted to build towers out of straws, second graders designed tinfoil boats to see how many pennies they could hold before sinking and kindergarteners learned about the science of bubbles by determining which instruments would create the biggest bubbles.

   Students also made use of technology. Third graders shot short movies on iPads and learned coding lessons in the library, and second graders got to see Lego robotics in action. 

   On Wednesday, classes did buddy projects related to STEAM, and Benicia Middle School’s jazz band and drama club came by to perform. On Thursday, guest readers read STEAM-related books, and today, third through fifth graders will be doing hands-on activities by community partners. 

   Beatson believes students will learn important lessons through the week’s activities.

   “They’re going to learn skills outside of STEAM like collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking,” she said. “They’re very short sessions, so they’re a jumping point for more in-depth work that can happen in the classroom.” 

   Beatson noted the week, particularly Tuesday’s STEAM Day, was a collaborative effort among techers, parents and community members, who donated items and helped with instruction. 

“I think I have about 30 parent volunteers and community members coming in to help,” she said. “Without them, this day would not be possible.” 

Benicia High School to participate in worldwide coding lessons

(Originally published in the 12/7/15 edition)

   Computers are ubiquitous in today’s society, but not everybody knows what goes into making them work. According to code.org, a nonprofit organization that encourages more participation in computer science courses, there are approximately 400,000 students enrolled in computer science classes, but over 1.4 million computing jobs which make up $5 billion in wage opportunities. Computer programming jobs are steadily growing, but less than 2.4 percent of college students graduate with a computer science degree.

   Because of this gap, code.org has devised a week for people to log in and learn about the basics of coding- the process used to design websites, software and cellphone applications- for an hour. Benicia High School will be one of the many participants worldwide.

   To coincide with Dec. 7 through 13 being Computer Science Education Week, code.org will be hosting the Hour of Code, which will give participants a chance to learn how to code hands-on for free. Users can take part at any hour of the day during the week.

   The Hour of Code was started in 2013 and currently has more than 185,000 scheduled events worldwide. Over 100 businesses have come together to support the event, including Apple which hosted Hour of Code at all of its stores around the world. Even President Barack Obama participated from the White House last year.

   Annette Fewins, Benicia High’s career technology department head, said the school started taking part in Hour of Code two years ago.

   “We did it one year, and last year we tried more teachers doing it,” she said. “This year we’re going to try to expand it more because we’re starting to add a lot of technology classes into our curriculum.”

   On Wednesday, students will drop by the Active Learning Space during the lunch time hour to take part. The center has 20 Chromebooks,10 iPads and large-screen TVs which will project videos on the importance of coding.

   “We will also have some drones out in the quad and a robot in the ALS center,” Fewins said.

   The event is part of Benicia High’s continuing mission to offer more technology classes to students. The school currently offers courses in robotics and introductory computer science, and next year it will offer an Advanced Placement computer class and computer programming will be  included in the freshman technology course. 

   “The goal is to get students interested in technology, not just talking on their phones or playing an app but knowing how these things work,” Fewins said. “We’re just trying to open up a door for them.”

   The Hour of Code will take place during the lunch hour on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at Benicia High’s Active Learning Space. The event is open to any students who wish to drop by and participate. For more information or to participate from home, visit code.org.