MDSciLetter-BetascapePartnership
Hello,
I'm a member of Baltimore Node, a hackerspace in Baltimore: about, map, website.
We recently ran an air powered rocket building booth (initial tests, setup, and launch!) at the Robot Fest / Mid-Atlantic Maker Faire, April 23. We're also scheduling ourselves to bring the kit back out for Betascape (and in the Baltimore Sun), the recently announced tech focused adjunct to Artscape.
I am directing this letter to you, Julie and Felicia (and whoever is behind the mediainquiry email), because after digging through http://mdsci.org, you look like the people who are most likely to be able to connect us with interested folks from within your organization.
What we're hoping for is a few volunteers willing to come out and build paper rockets with kids, grown ups, or anyone or thing that can roll construction paper and tear tape. We have no curriculum or pre-set educational mission, that's not really how we roll. Instead, we're going to have fun and learn by doing, and wanted to invite you all along. We have about 24 members, probably 8 of those will be able to volunteer for the event, and we have the opportunity to cover up to three shifts, each of which lasts as long as Artscape is open. Plans are not set in stone, and we don't know all the details, so even if you could provide us with a short list of people to contact, I can get in touch with them and see if they'd be interested.
Like, I said, nothing is set in stone, but it looks like construction materials will be covered by the group running Artscape (Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts). This means the only real need we can see is for people.
My bigger hope, beyond Betascape, is that we could form some sort of loose alliance in terms of time, materials, and expertise. We are a small membership based workshop, in terms of our physical location, but we have the attention of the tech / DIY community in Baltimore and we count among our members scientists, engineers, designers, programmers, and artists. While we are not strictly a youth, child, or education focused organization, we are well aware that schools cut off science education way before it gets interesting. Specifically, schools teach with words and lectures to children who are forced to sit still and listen. Our goal (like your own, presumably), is to reach out and invite people of all ages in through experience and exploration, to show them that the world of technology that surrounds us is accessible, interesting, modifiable, and comprehensible. That seems to line up closely with the work the Science Center is doing. I'm bugging you for help, but if there's anything we can do to help you all, please feel free to contact us at root@baltimorenode.org.
Baltimore is not a big town, I'm sure we'll see you around.
Thanks,
Adam Bachman --- http://adambachman.org http://twitter.com/abachman http://baltimorenode.org
