Make@SCI

Makers from across skills and interests participated in the first-ever Iowa Maker Tweet-Up on Tuesday night, sharing their favorite projects and DIY plans for the summer. Electronics enthusiasts, artists, sculptors, educators, the American Alliance of Museums (and more!) joined the conversation. We discussed everything from the Maker mindset as a whole to specific projects and individual A-ha! moments.

Here are a few of our favorite tweets from the inaugural #iamakerchat:

We kicked things off with a question… In 140 characters, tell us why you’re a Maker! Why is Making important to you?

I'm someone who wants to DIY and figure out how to fix and do on my own. Passionate about building that spirit in my students. #iamakerchat -@tcgrn, Teresa Green

Then the American Alliance of Museums joined the fun…

Thanks for the mention, @AAMers! What does Making mean to your organization? -@SCIOWA

Big question! Just based on the varied skills and interests of our staff, anything from a stage set to a new garden to a community. -@AAMers

Makers shared their latest projects!

What’s on your must-Make list for the summer? -@SCIOWA

My main focus this summer is marketing a circuit board I developed #iamakerchat -@MichaelELandon, Michael Landon

Art is making. It takes math, science, spacial skills, and creativity to create a pot out of clay. -@AmandaMBarr, Amanda Barr

We learned about the role of Making in the classroom, too.

Work as a K-5 tech teacher / librarian and making efforts to provide making opportunities for all my kiddos and not just a few. -@tcgrn, Teresa Green

We explored Makey Makeys, Squishy Circuits, LittleBits, and Modular Robotics as our 'jump in the water' experiences this year. -@tcgrn, Teresa Green

Participants shared why Making is important for Iowa.

Because if we do not encourage making today, we will have a lack of engineers tomorrow. If I can help, I'm all for it #iamakerchat-@MichaelELandon, Michael Landon

Don’t miss the next #iamakerchat

Missed the first Iowa Maker Tweet-Up? Join us every other Tuesday through August 11 from 7-8 pm, featuring a new focus each week! At our next #iamakerchat on Tuesday, June 16, we’re talking all things DIY and upcycling!

Break out your best Making advice from 7:00-8:00 pm on the following Tuesdays throughout the summer:

• June 16
• June 30
• July 14
• July 28
• August 11

I moved from St. Louis to Des Moines in 2009 to study environmental science and policy and music at Drake University. Since graduating in 2013, I have worked in various laboratory settings and continue writing and performing music.

Thanks to my academic background in science, sustainability and music, I’m excited for this summer’s Make@SCI themes, especially Reuse, Reduce, UPCYCLE and Noise Garden. The Make Movement’s emphasis on reusables resonated with my passion for sustainability.

I hope to help visitors develop the Maker mindset—using ordinary objects to make extraordinary things. You’re not just a consumer but an ever-adapting DIY producer. Your creativity is the only limiting factor in what you’re capable of “Making.” And the more time you spend Making, the more you’ll be able to apply what you’ve learned to your next creations, as well as everyday life. Being a Maker means using whatever skills you have to help solve nearly any problem in a hands-on, learn-as-you-go way!