READER INPUT
Soapy Peril, Nerf Newbies,
and Real-Life Heroes
From Makers Like You
I read Saul Griffith’s column in Volume 29
[“MENTORing Kids into Makers”] and I was
just so impressed at your undertaking. I’m
sure MAKE’s new Makerspace program (maker
space.com) will change student’s attitudes
toward STEM. You might be interested in the
Lemelson-MIT poll of 16- to 25-year-olds.
Popular Mechanics reports that “Nearly a third
said they had little to no experience building
anything hands-on, whether it’s a digital product like a website or a physical project like
piecing together a circuit.”
I also really like that you’ve put role models
on the cover of the magazine. Having a role
model, especially one that’s not your stereo-typical white male, can help young students
picture themselves in a STEM profession.
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In a program at Techbridge, an organization
dedicated to expanding the options of girls
interested technology and engineering (I’m
a board member), we found that without role
models and field trips to worksites, students
saw hands-on activities as a hobby but not
a career.
I picked up
the MAKE: Ultimate
Kit Guide 2012
I strongly encourage the Makerspace
program to incorporate role models. I also
encourage MAKE readers to become role
models to their children, nieces, nephews,
or friends’ children.
—Lyn Gomes, PE, LEED AP,
mechanical engineer, and maker
(Motorized Barcalounger), Livermore, Calif.
( kits.makezine.
com), and after
gleefully devouring
its packed pages, I
want to thank your
team for putting together such a wonderful
collection of kits. What I appreciate most is
the distilled simplicity of it. The personal commentary of your reviewers cuts through the
hype and/or lack of information associated
with many kits, and gets to the heart of what
I’m interested in. Thanks again for going the
extra mile.
Garry McLeod (Carol Reiley)
—Aaron Stone, Fort Worth, Texas
As a science teacher and Ph.D. chemist, the
soap-making tutorial in Volume 29 [“Making
Bar Soap”] caught my eye for a few reasons.
» None of the pictures illustrate the safety
Thank you for featuring real-life superhero
Carol Reiley [MAKE Volume 29, “Air Guitar
Hero” and “DI Y Blood Pressure Monitor”].
She’s just as smart as Tony Stark and more
attractive than Wonder Woman, and on top of
that, she builds robots that save people. Reiley
is a true inspiration.
—Bob Bohan, Kent, Wash.
12 Make: makezine.com/30
