MAKER’S CORNER

BY DAN WOODS

Bring DIY Inspiration to a Kid You Don’t Know

Beginning this summer, the Maker Media team began taking the magic of MAKE on the road — literally. Funded in part by a grant from IBM, we’re converting a 1981 Mercedes fire truck, dubbed the MakeMobile, into a mobile workshop that will pay visits to economically challenged schools in our Northern California backyard. The MakeMobile is equipped with everything we need to inspire students with demonstrations and hands-on workshops in an almost endless variety of science and technology areas — from circuit building and robotics to kites, automata, and mechanical toys.

Our goal is simple: to bring a hands-on DIY experience to kids who often lack sufficient exposure to, and mentoring in, science and technology. We hope to build on this pilot program to inspire and support MakeMobiles and Maker Mentor teams in other communities throughout the world.

The MakeMobile is just one example of how We simply can’t keep the quality of the magazine up when you subscribe to MAKE you’re doing more to our readers’ standards if we do that. than quenching your own thirst for DIY inspiration: Nonetheless, this spring we introduced a special you’re supporting a growing constellation of maker subsidized teacher’s rate of just $19.95/year when communities and educators dedicated to mentor- a subscription is delivered to a school address. If ing students of all ages, nationalities, and economic you know a school or teacher who might value a gift circumstances. subscription, we’re happy to extend this special rate

This past year MAKE (and our sister magazine to gift-givers as well. We’ve posted details on how CRAFT) provided financial and promotional support to give at makezine.com/school. to dozens of educational programs worldwide; from The word membership is often overused by Science Olympiad ( soinc.org) and the Tech Challenge companies trying to confer a sense of privilege to ( techchallenge.thetech.org), to Vision Ed’s Robofest their customers. In the case of MAKE, however, your in New York City ( visionedinc.org/robofest) and subscription is as much a pledge as a member of the Education Day at our own Maker Faire (makerfaire. maker community as it is a magazine subscription. com), where we bused in hundreds of middle school The same goes for our loyal advertisers. You don’t and high school students to drink from the same wear your membership badge on your sleeve, but DIY fountain that inspires the rest of us as MAKE you are tied together by your generosity as well as editors, contributors, and subscribers. your curiosity. And for this, we salute you.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has Our pledge in return is to continue to seek out read MAKE that we’re primarily a circulation-based and support programs that will spread the passion, magazine. We deeply appreciate the support of our spirit, and knowledge of makers through student sponsors and advertisers, but by design our primary mentorship and educational programs worldwide. financial support is from subscribers. This means you won’t find “practically free” subscription offers _{Dan Woods is associate publisher of MAKE and CRAF T} in an attempt to inflate our rate base for advertisers. magazines.

Photograph by Scott Beale

Our goal is simple: to bring a hands-on DIY experience to kids who often lack sufficient exposure to science and technology.

28 Make: Volume 15