TCC Will Participate in Tulsa's First Maker Faire

Robots and high tech will be displayed side by side with quilting and sewing as Tulsa hosts the first Tulsa Mini Maker Faire. Think of the event as a large show-and-tell showcasing the amazing work of all kinds of makers or designers from experts to hobbyists. It will include science, arts, crafts, technology, education, food and more. The free family friendly event is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Guthrie Green, 111 East Brady Street in downtown Tulsa.

“The Tulsa event is based on maker faires in California and New York. People are encouraged - any type of maker no matter what type of interest – to get out of the house, the garage or the workshop and share what they are making,” said Nathan Pritchett, executive director of the Hardesty Center for Fab Lab Tulsa.

The Hardesty Center for Fab Lab Tulsa and Guthrie Green are hosting the Tulsa Mini Maker Faire. Sponsors for the event are Whole Foods Market and the Oklahoma Innovation Institute with a special thanks to Maker Media.

The Tulsa Alliance for Engineering is heading up the STEM (Science, technology, engineering and math) Alley consisting of more than 20 different groups in STEM fields with hands-on activities and building opportunities for children and adults. “With maker faire, the experience is about seeing, doing and learning with an emphasis on empowering and celebrating the maker,” said Xan Black, Tulsa Alliance for Engineering coordinator. The Tulsa Alliance for Engineering is a partnership between Oklahoma State University, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa Community College, Tulsa Tech, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa.

Tulsa Community College will showcase the electric vehicle modified by TCC students and will have sumo robots (sumo-bots) battling each other in a four foot ring as well as a sumo robot that students can operate. In addition, there will be a CANstruction display for breast cancer awareness from an engineering club made up of high school girls with the canned food donated following the event.

The Guthrie Green Stage will host a handful of demonstrations. One of those groups, the Science Spectacular by Oklahoma Museum Network, will do an exciting demonstration with foam, fire and explosions and show scientific actions and reactions as well as what 3,000 exploding ping pong balls looks like. For more information about the Tulsa Mini Maker Faire go to http://makerfairetulsa.com.