March 2019

Message from the President

Planning is underway for our Empower2Make (E2M) event, a Make-a-Thon for Assistive Technology, coming April 12-14! This signature Nova Labs event draws experienced and novice makers alike, to create a better world in 72 hours.

On Sunday morning, April 14, each of the teams will share the products they have developed to change lives! The keynote will be provided by Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google. E2M is made possible by the generous support Google has provided since July 2016.

A huge thanks to the E2M planning committee of Fred Briggs, Bo Pollet Wernick, Patrick Thompson, Jennyfer Peterson, and a host of supporters and partners. More on how to get involved with E2M follows in this newsletter.

The 6th annual Maker Faire NoVa is coming this June to GMU! A heartfelt thanks to the production team co-led by Carl Hutzler and Jeanne Loveland along with Brian Jacoby, Taylor Sweeney, Sara Bradley, Margaret Kositch, Asma Chaudhary, Jim Seeley, Dennis Sharland, Paul Hancher, Shane Smith, Rebecca Howick, Kathy McCabe, Jeanne Marshall, and Amy Shaw.

Nova Labs has ambitious goals as we plan the future of the makerspace. As I write, we are part way through a series of Town Halls for Nova Labs 3.0, one step in creating a shared vision. At the same time we are developing financial models while running an initial market survey on current real estate inventory. This provides a sense of membership needs and wants along with what it would take to buy or lease a new facility.

I just returned from a National Equine Symposium with the U.S. Pony Club (USPC), a chance to gain skills in nonprofit leadership while mingling with adults with shared passions. I came back energized for my work with Nova Labs. One of my takeaways from the USPC Symposium is that truly great organizations make an intentional effort for all voices to be heard. The open community is one of Nova Labs’ strengths.

Please join us at the upcoming Member Meeting next week!

Happy Making!

Marybeth Haneline

Nova Labs President

Board Updates

Board Update: March 2019

Marching forward! Join us at the Member Meeting on Tuesday 3/12 at 7PM, to hear what we heard at our three Town Hall meetings, and to hear our latest financial updates. At the March Board meeting, we are exploring possible options regarding purchasing or leasing Nova Labs 3.0. We hope to see you at Empower2Make’s Make-a-Thon Launch Party on Wednesday 3/13 at 7PM! Plus, Maker Faire Nova’s organizing committee is gearing up for the big push – check Meetup for details if you’d like to join the MFN team. And…NOVA PASS is done!

Provided by Margaret Kositch

E2M Launch Party and Call for Makers

Empower2Make

Empower2Make (E2M), a Make-a-Thon for Assistive Technology, is coming April 12-14!

Join us for a fun-for-all ages launch party to meet the planning team, some of the past participants and need-knowers participating in the Empower2Make 72 hour Make-A-Thon from 12-14 April 2019.

Were you thinking of participating and would like to know more? Do you know any need-knowers? Bring them. Ask questions. Learn more and signup to participate at Call for Makers.

Join us at Empower2Make Make-A-Thon Launch Party – Wednesday, March 13, 2019 @ 7pm.

E2M Team Presentations

Sunday, April 14 – 10:30 AM – 1 PM

• 10:30 AM Keynote – Vint Cerf, V.P., Chief Internet Evangelist for Google
• 11:00 AM – 1 PM – Team Presentations

Save the Date: K-12 STEM Symposium

The annual K-12 STEM Symposium on March 30 from 9-3 at Nysmith School. The Symposium provides the opportunity for students, parents and teachers in the National Capital Region (NCR) to interact with key business, education, non-profit and government leaders through real-life applications and presentations about how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics impacts our community. Maker Faire NoVa will be exhibiting there. Tickets are free.

For more information visit K-12 STEM Symposium.

Happenings in March

Some of the Main Attractions in March are below. Please RSVP via the links.

• Mar 2, 2-4pm FLL Workshop
• Mar 3, 2-4pm DIYBio Microfluidics and BCI
• Mar 9, 2-4pm Open House
• Mar 12, 7pm Open Member Meeting
• Mar 13, 7pm E2M Launch Party
• Mar 18, 6:30-8:30pm INCA Group Advertising & Public Relations
• March 23, 6-8pm Ladies’ Night Out
• Mar 24, 10am Spring Cleaning Wood & Metal Shop
• Check the Calendar of Events for the schedule of upcoming events

Provided by Julia Smith and Karen Shumway

Volunteer Spotlight

Fabiana Cesa: Youth Programs

My first task as the new Youth Programs Lead was to revamp the kids shelves located in the Orange Bay. With the help of Annie, Anson, and their parents, we reimagined the shelves as an introduction to making for young kids.

Now, besides the unavoidable LEGO bricks, you’ll find a variety of containers. Each holds the possibility of a small project. Hopefully, the ideas are specific enough for those kids who need direction and open ended enough for those kids who don’t.

The current activities are more on the craft side of the making spectrum. Electronics and engineering ideas are in development. We’ll take suggestions gladly, and we’ll take ready-to-go kits with much gratitude.

A note of caution: this is a PG area. What I mean is, while kids are welcome to explore, use, mix materials, make, play and spread things on tables or floor, their parents are ultimately responsible for teaching and enforcing makerspace etiquette: when you are done, you must get it ready for the next maker. Leaving a mess behind will cause finger wagging from other makers, and rightfully so. I already got into trouble myself when I commissioned some prototypes for the top of the shelf and did not stay close enough to keep the situation contained. Making a mess could be fun. Picking up somebody else’s mess is definitely not.

I hope kids and their adults enjoy the activities. Please share some of the creations on top of the shelf.

Call to Volunteers

Additional Opportunities

In addition, NOVA Labs is seeking volunteer help for the following:

• Looking for PHP hackers who enjoy working with APIs and systems integration
• Website – site maintenance and upgrades
• Programmers needed for NOVA Pass development effort
• Front Desk person for Monday evenings
• Outreach team members – Help our team lead with website content, social media, pictures, marketing, and outreach to external communities
• Open-house tour helpers, 2nd Saturday of each month
• Winter interns at college and high school level
• Wiki information maintainers
• Graphic Designer for marketing flyers
• Crafter’s Cove: Administrative Steward to assist Carrie
• Safety Team Involvement

Contact volunteering@nova-labs.org if you’re interested!

NOVA Pass

NOVA Pass is an access control system for NOVA Labs tools. NOVA Labs members use their badges to activate the tools. The system checks the member database to confirm they are signed-off on the tools. The project will eventually be released to open source in the hopes that other maker spaces may benefit.

NOVA Pass is being developed in-house by software and hardware developer member volunteers. If you are a software or hardware developer and would like to help, we’d love to hear from you.