Sarah H. Chung is a maker educator who has worked on the development of a 20,000 foot makerspace for Center City public charter schools in Washington, DC. She’s had several stops on her journey as a maker educator, working in formal and informal learning settings. In DC, she found herself leading the effort to build a community makerspace that would be shared by five public charter schools.
In this episode of Make:cast, I am joined by Hannah Hagon, author of “Unplugged Tots,” and Brian Jepson, publisher at Raspberry Pi Press. (The editor of the book was Mark Frauenfelder, the first Editor in Chief of Make:.) The discussion centers on Hannah’s new book, which offers screen-free, play-based activities designed to introduce young children to computational thinking and logical problem-solving without the use of computers or coding apps.
In this episode of Make:cast, Dale Dougherty from Make Magazine chats with Marilyn Nash and Amber Hudson, authors of ‘A Maker’s Life‘. Both of them are former teachers – Marilyn is retired and Amber works at 1st Makerspace in Indiana. They discuss the impact their book has had on readers, igniting meaningful conversations about the maker mindset among people of all ages. Amber shares the story of how she and Marilyn met and collaborated on the book, which serves as both a personal narrative of Marilyn’s life as a maker and a reflective guide for developing makerspaces.
In this episode of Make:cast, host Dale Dougherty speaks with Kirk Pearson, author of ‘Electronic Music from Scratch,’ and Kevin Toyama, the book’s editor. Kirk is a musical experimenter and he encourages others to do the same. Kirk shares his journey from a traditional music background to creating electronic music and building custom instruments. He discusses his workshops, where participants learn to build synthesizers and other electronic instruments.
This is the keynote talk I gave at the Trenton Computer Festival 2025 at the end of March. The theme of the festival was Fun with Technology and I talked about how Make and Maker Faire have been dedicated to people who have fun with technology. I slightly edited this talk to remove references to the slides I used in the talk.
In this episode of Make:cast, Dale Dougherty is joined by Ken Kahn, author of ‘The Learner’s Apprentice: AI and the Amplification of Human Creativity,’ and Sylvia Martinez, co-author of ‘Invent to Learn.’ Ken discusses his experience in AI from his high school days to MIT’s AI Lab and his journey into integrating AI into children’s programming tools. Sylvia sheds light on the importance of empowering children with modern tools and technology. The discussion centers on creative uses of AI in education, including creating web apps and historical dialogues using chatbots, personalized learning, and the impact of AI in the classroom. This insightful conversation aims to inspire educators, parents, and students to adopt AI creatively and constructively.
Dale Dougherty discusses the launch and evolution of Make: Magazine, a DIY technology publication, since its inception in February 2005. The conversation includes insights from original team members Mark Frauenfelder, Dave Albertson, Shawn Connolly, and Paul Spinrad, as well as current editor-in-chief Keith Hammond. The magazine, launched amidst a declining print industry, aimed to share project instructions and inspire readers to engage in DIY activities. The first issue showcased a kite aerial photography project by Cris Benton, exemplifying ingenious solutions like using popsicle sticks and a Silly Putty Viscous Timer. They reminisced about early decision-making, the importance of design, challenges in documenting projects, and how the community’s growth influenced by Maker Faires. The script highlights the magazine’s impact on the maker movement, transitioning into various mediums and reflecting on personal anecdotes from team members over the years.
In this episode of Make:Cast, Dale Dougherty interviews Ellie Weinstein, founder and CEO of Cocoa Press, a company that manufactures 3D printers that print chocolate. Ellie discusses her 10-year journey from a high school project to launching the second model of her Cocoa Press printer. The discussion highlights her background in mechanical engineering, her experience with 3D printing, and the challenges of creating a unique product that combines technology and confectionery.
In this episode of MakeCast, Dale Dougherty interviews Steph Piper, a creative technologist from Queensland, Australia. They discuss her Maker Queen website, her Skill Trees project, and her new book, Skill Seeker Maker Edition. Steph shares insights into her role at a university library makerspace, her electronics kits for kids, and her GlowStitchLEDs project. The conversation also covers the development and application of skill trees as a tool for self-directed learning and maker engagement, as well as the importance of community in makerspaces.
The sister/brother team who go by Moon Makers are introducing more people in Mexico to the maker mindset through their YouTube videos, kits and educational materials in Spanish and sometimes also in English. They are helping educators and parents engage in maker education, even while they are still in college themselves. They are enthusiastic and the way they are making media feels natural and playful.
At Fab24 in Puebla, Mexico, where I met up with them, Camila and Diego were “ambassadors” for the event, interviewing many of the speakers at the conference, including me. Here’s my interview with both of them:
Chad Orcutt created Community Shop Class in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento, California. What started out as the ADHD Inventor’s Club in his garage grew into a new space, unlike any makerspace you’ve seen. He saw it as way to help people, particularly neurodivergent people like himself, learn to use tools safely. He’s built a shop class for people who never had shop class.
Cy Tymony is well known as the author of “Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things” and “Sneaky Math” and he’s written for Make Magazine as well. However, I didn’t know much about him and his life story. Cy has a wonderful DIY worldview that he shares through his many books and it comes across in the interview. He promises to reveal a secret world to you if you’re willing to be a little sneaky, something he’s learned from being so curious.
To Cy, sneaky means you learn about something that not everybody knows, the way a magician has learned to do a trick and then can amaze their friends. Cy says his point is to encourage everyone to “discover the power and resources that you have,” which is some ways is the life story of Cy Tymony.
Jenny Young is a mechanical engineer who founded Brooklyn Robot Factory thirteen years ago to bring hands-on learning experiences to kids in schools and afterschool programs. Her company has evolved from operating brick-and-mortar locations into a franchise business where they train and equip others to provide hands-on classes in schools and afterschool sites. Brooklyn Robot Foundry provides curriculum and kits in addition to training, and her franchisees go out into the community to find places where they can connect kids and robot kits. Jenny says: “I’m not selling kits; I’m selling a service.”
Matt Zigler is the author of a new book for educators titled “3 Modes of Making.” He talks about imitation, modification and innovation as three different modes of student projects, which develop different maker skills. Matt is an artist and educator who has been running the makerspace at Bullis, an independent school in the DC area. He brings a background in art and creative practice to the makerspace and his school. it’s not that every student is going to be an artist but every student should develop a creative practice, regardless of subject or area of interest.
My guest on this episode is Jude Pullen, a creative technologist from the UK. “What’s really exciting, both about technology and creativity, is putting them side by side and seeing why we do things and considering what we can do given the capabilities of technology and our own imagination.”
Pullen’s curiosity about why he couldn’t easily replace the batteries in his headphones led him to explore the reasons why repair has become even more difficult over time. He wrote a multi-part series called “The Fight For Repair” on Design Spark.
This episode features an interview with the authors of a new book titled “AI Robots.” which includes Reade Richard, Andy Forest, Brenda Shivanandan and Denzel Edwards. The book is designed to teach kids how to build AI-powered projects using hands-on activities and coding. The authors discuss the different sections of the book, which include physical build, electronics, coding with Micro:bit, and adding AI capabilities. They emphasize the importance of integrating different subjects, such as STEM, in a project-based way. The book aims to empower students and parents to explore AI technology and learn how to use it responsibly.
My guest on this episode of Make:cast is Jim Sweeney, the treasurer of NoVA Labs, a community makerspace in northern Virginia. Jim talks honestly about the challenges of growing a makerspace. With 700 members and many programs for young makers in the community, NoVA Labs has a bold vision of what a makerspace can be and Jim is determined to realize that vision in his community. NoVA Labs is thriving with plans to host a Maker Faire against next spring.
Brian Wagner has worn many hats in his life and they all seem to fit. He is an engineer, a maker, and a teacher of making and coding. He’s also one of the co-founders of the LVL hackerspace in Louisville, Kentucky, and he remains a member, even though he now lives in Florida, where he teaches at IMG Academy. He got a degree in EE and Computer science and worked in industry but then he decided to stay at home as a Mr. Mom for several years. Next he went into teaching, which was a good fit for him. During COVID, one of Brian’s projects was to create an online course (Code with Mr. Wagner) to teach coding specifically how to learn Python to create video games. Brian has that maker mindset for learning by doing, and he tries to share his skills and his enthusiasm with students. I’m happy to share his story with you.
Chris Walker dropped out of Dartmouth and became a Thiel Fellow in 2013. He had an idea for a math video game that was inspired by the TI 84 graphing calculator. He tried creating an educational video game studio but it didn’t work out. He joined Hack Club, a student-led educational intiative that started teaching coding but has branched out. Hack Club’s founder, Zach Latta, was also a Thiel Fellow. He worked with students to launch a new web version of the math video game called SineRider, which can be found at SineRider.com.
Donnell Layne and Jason Kennedy developed the iMAKE Innovation Center Makerspace at Moreno Valley College in Southern California, an Hispanic-serving community college. They talk about developing the space to meet the needs of students and faculty as well as the broader community. They also see it as a space that is growing into the future, just like the students.
My guests on this episode are the authors of Make Trigonometry, Build Your Way from Triangles to Analytic Geometry, Joan Horvath and Rich Cameron. Make Trigonometry is the third math book that Joan and Rich have written with us, the previous books being Make Geometry and Make Calculus.
Joan calls herself a recovering rocket scientist. In that career, she worked on spacecraft headed to distant planents. Her co-author, Rich, has a very different background as an open source developer who has been involved in 3D printing since its emergence in the maker community.
Together they have come up with a way to teach math using 3D models that turn math into a hands-on learning experience for students.
Galen Powers talks about finding talent in makerspaces and helping them find jobs — and he doesn’t quite understand why some makers aren’t interested in making money. He also has his own way of interviewing job candidates, asking them to bring and talk about a portfolio of their work as well as a hobby that is connected to their career. He’s accomplished quite a bit with 57 patents to his name but no college degree.
Joining the conversation is Jeff Johnson, who is with ChatLab in Chattanooga Tennesee and a friend of Galen’s. Together, they were part of the founding of LVL1 makerspace in Louisville Kentucky.
I’d like you to meet Amy Zell – mother, librarian, grief counselor, and maker. In this episode, she talks about the power of making to change things, to change people. She credits Casey Shea, a Sonoma County maker educator with telling her about “maker empowerment” at the Fab Institute in Pittsburgh in 2018. She understood “maker empowerment” to mean the wherewithal to change things through making, and she applied it to her own life to move forward after suffering the loss of her son. Now she works with others who have experienced loss and trauma and she is weaving making into mental health practices.
Susie Frazier created the Maker Town platform for makers and artists working in Cleveland and Northern Ohio so that more people can find them and learn about what they make. Susie is a maker, creator and artist. Her own journey led her to Cleveland, Ohio, where she began developing her own functional and decorative art, working with stone and then organic materials. She hosted a TV show. Then she wrote a book called “Designing for Wellness.”
Joan Horvath and Rich Cameron, authors of Make: Geometry, explain how to use 3D models to teach geometry, which can help students visualize and grasp the basic shapes. Joan describes herself as a recovering rocket scientist who worked at JPL. Rich was an early RepRap 3D printer enthusiast. Together they have created a practical, hands-on approach to teaching geometry. Make: Books editor, Patrick DiJusto talks to Joan and Rich.
Victor Hwang organized the Right to Start movement that seeks to open doors for more people to become entrepreneurs and create an ecosystem in America that supports entrepreneurial activity. After many years of leading entrepreneurship efforts at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Victor started his own organization built around the belief that becoming an entrepreneur is a fundamental right that anyone can exercise.
How do you transform ordinary stuff into meaningful things, even beautiful things? How you make things that don’t yet exist, something original rather than a copy? That’s the topic of this conversation with New York-based industrial designer, Neil Cohen. “Some of what I do in my work is making something that starts out one way,” he says, “And then when you do something to it, it forms into something else or reveals something else.”
Jorvon Moss creates companion robots for himself, working nights and weekends. I had run into Jorvon at Maker Faire Bay area as well as at the downtown LA Maker Faire. He always had one of his robot creations on the shoulder. In this interview, I wanted to learn about how he got started making and get to know the person behind the robots and the goggles. He calls himself Odd Jayy on Twitter, because some people might think he was odd, but he and his robots have become quite popular.
Our current framework for multiple-choice standardized testing is about 20 years old, dating back to legislation signed by President Bush called No Child Left Behind. The name has changed but testing still rules, although it has been disrupted by COVID-19. In this conversation with educators, Pam Moran and Ira Socol, co-authors of Timeless Learning with Chad Ratliff, we discuss how our education system responded to COVID-19 and how students have responded by turning off their cameras.
As a maker, San Diego-native Scott Swaaley is a triple-threat. He can build things; he can teach; and he can start and run his own business. An electrical engineer who became a high school teacher, Scott started Make Safe Tools in 2018 to produce products that make workshops safer. One of its products is the MakeSafe Power Tool Brake. In this podcast episode, I talk to Scott about his experiences as an engineer, educator, and entrepreneur and “how those experiences overlap in unexpected ways.”
The last place you might expect to find a makerspace is at The George Mark House, a pediatric palliative care facility in San Leandro, California. It is a place that cares for families who are going through the difficult end-of-life process for their child. I talk with Dr. Joan Fisher, the medical director, and Dr. Gokul Krishnan, a pioneer in the practice of maker therapy who just received a NSF grant to design and build a makerspace at the George Mark House.
You can learn a lot about the health of a hive by listening to the sounds that bees make, as a beekeeper would do. The developers of the Long Hive project, featured in Make Magazine, Vol 75, tell us about their efforts to use machine learning to detect the presence of the queen bee by recording the sounds of the bees in the hive.
Italians have a love of innovation and design and it shows at Maker Faire Rome. In this episode of Make:Cast, I look back at Maker Faire Rome in October 2019 during a pre-Covid time when live events could happen. I was guided through Maker Faire Rome by Alessandro Ranellucci, the curator of Maker Faire Rome, along with Massimo Banzi, co-founder of Arduino. Maker Faire Rome 2020 is happening as a virtual event this weekend.
Ten years ago, a community came together around a definition of open source hardware to be clear about what it means to share designs for physical things, and doing so in a way that allows others to make, modify, distribute or use those things. This definition has been managed by the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA). In this episode, I talk with Alicia Gibb, Executive Director of OSHWA, and board president, Michael Weinberg about the growth of open source hardware, its certification process, and the role of open source hardware in the maker response to COVID-19.
Tim Deagan, a maker in Austin, TX, is a polymaker with many interests and fabrication projects that range from from flame effects to ham radio to leatherworking. He is the author of “Make: Fire – The Art and Science of Working with Propane” and “Modern Leatherworking for Makers.” In this conversation, Tim joins me from his garage workshop and we talk shop.
In this episode, we talk with Sarah Boisvert, an entrepreneur with extensive work experience in manufacturing, laser technology in 3d printing, who has been focusing on workforce training. Digital fabrication technology is creating new manufacturing jobs that she calls “new collar jobs” which require digital and physical hands-on experience. In 2018, Sarah published “The New Collar Workforce: An Insider’s Guide to Making Impactful Changes to Manufacturing and Training.”
For anyone wanting to do something, open source makes it easier for you to get started, for creative ideas to flourish and for difficult problems to be solved by collaborating with others. I talk with Joshua Pearce about his new book, “Create, Share and Save Money Using Open Source Projects.” Joshua is a professor of materials science and electrical engineering at Michigan Tech University where he directs the Michigan Tech Open Sustainability Technology Lab – acronym MOST. He’s also the editor of Hardware X, a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to open source scientific hardware.
The co-founders of Maker Works in Ann Arbor, Michigan have written an operations guide for makerspaces. In this episode, we talk with Tom Root, one of the authors of “The Intentional Makerspace: Operation” about how to think of recipes as a way of managing a makerspace, predicatably and safely.
Over the last year or two, mHUB Chicago has begun offering product development services that allow makers, engineers, and others to work on paid projects for corporate clients, filling a need for rapid prototyping for those companies and helping entrepreneurs bring in some money. At the same time, they get started on their own project. Recently, mHUB was awarded a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the federal government to scale these services, develop new opportunities for talent and provide a service to client companies.
