Here's the latest news from the lab! In this issue:

• Student Spaceflight Experiments Program for North County

• National Maker-to-Manufacturer Initiative

• New Professional Development Workshops for Teachers

• New Coding Workshops for IoT

• OSML Supports Marine Corps Expeditionary Manufacturing Initiative

Student Spaceflight Experiments Program for North County

OSML, in partnership with the North County Professional DevelopmentFederation (NCPDF) and Vista Magnet Middle School, is leading a major STEM project that will include hundreds of North County students this year. We are excited about the opportunity to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 11 to the International Space Station. We plan to immerse middle school students in collaboration with Community College and University students into the experimental design process and competition during regular school hours and after school opportunities. Ultimately, we expect over 100 student teams to submit proposals - one of our teams will be selected for inclusion on Mission 11. Open Source Maker Labs will provide technical assistance, programmatic support and industry connections to our SSEP community.

From the SSEP web site:

     Launched in June 2010, SSEP was designed as a model U.S. National STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education program that immerses typically 300 students across a community in every facet of authentic scientific research of their own design, using a highly captivating spaceflight opportunity on the International Space Station (ISS). The program is designed to inspire and engage the next generation of scientists and engineers, and is accomplished by providing each participating community their own very real Space Program.

     SSEP Mission 11 to ISS will provide each participating community a real research mini-laboratory capable of supporting a single microgravity experiment, and all launch services to fly the mini-lab to ISS in Spring 2017, and return it safely to Earth for harvesting and analysis. Mirroring how professional research is done, student teams across the community submit research proposals, and go through a formal proposal review process to select the flight experiment.

We have brought together many participants: Open Source Maker Labs; North County Professional Development Federation; California State University, San Marcos; Palomar College; Vista Magnet Middle School for Math, Science and Technology; Vista Visions Academy; and Vista Innovation and Design Academy. Others may join before the program starts in September.

Vista Magnet Middle School is also currently participating in Mission 8 which is scheduled for launch on July 17 at 9:45 PM PDT. We will be watching the launch live at OSML - all members and program participants are welcome to attend!

National Maker-to-Manufacturer Initiative

As part of the National Week of Making, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) invited OSML to attend the Maker-to-Manufacturer Stakeholder Event on Monday, June 20, 2016 in Washington, DC.

OSTP is the President's lead office for executing a national manufacturing strategy passed by congress in late 2014.  Known as the Revitalization of American Manufacturing Innovation (RAMI) Act, this bi-partisan legislation stresses the importance of apprentice training, the role of high-tech hobbyists and the need to incubate manufacturing start-ups which fuel innovation,  entrepreneurship and regional economic growth.  Building on technical innovations such as cloud computing that lowered the cost associated with launching an Internet startup,  we had the opportunity to advise and collaborate with a national cross section of representatives from industry, government, academia, and the maker community. Many creative ideas were shared that could help foster a resurgence in American innovation and manufacturing, and the group will continue to collaborate and refine these ideas.

One particular initiative that was listed in the White House Fact Sheet for the National Week of Making will be a national public registry of Maker Mentors, where experienced manufacturers may volunteer to serve as technical subject matter experts and mentors for makers interested in manufacturing their prototypes. OSML will be leading this national initiative along with our partners in the Joint Advanced Manufacturing Region (JAMR).

For more details on the RAMI Act, see https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2014/12/statement-us-commerce-secretary-penny-pritzker-passage-bipartisan)

New Professional Development Workshops for Teachers

This fall we’ll be doing another series of professional development workshops for teachers. We’ll be part of a set of workshops hosted by the Carlsbad Unified School District, and in particular, with Calavera Hills Middle school. The workshops will range from hands-on techniques for integrating standards across multiple subjects, to train-the-trainer sessions for equipment in school makerspaces. We’re continuing to connect with the great educational community in North County, which has included previous workshops with Del Mar Union School District, Pathways Academy, Vista Innovation and Design Academy, and Cal State San Marcos.

This is also supported by our Teacher Tuesdays sessions at OSML. Do you need to develop projects or experiments for your classroom?  Do you want to learn from other teachers about their successes in project-based learning?  Each week, one teacher’s curriculum need with be addressed. Mentors will lead the group through a design thinking process to a solution for that teacher.  This will also be an opportunity to collaborate with your colleagues and share best practices across some very innovative approaches. The cost for each session is $20 per person for non-members; special membership rates are available for teachers here. Members are welcome to all sessions as well as all lab equipment during open hours.

For more information about professional development workshops, please contact us at info@opensourcemakerlabs.com.

New Coding Workshops for IoT

In August, OSML will be offering a month-long workshop on learning how to utilize the Internet of Things (IoT) in both a personal and professional setting. The workshops are designed to show how to use a variety of industry-standard IoT and programming tools, including development boards like the Raspberry Pi, IoT web platforms like Amazon Web Service’s IoT host, and a multitude of sensors.

At the end of the course, each student receives a digital badge that can be put on a LinkedIn and/or Facebook profile that shows they completed the course and have these new skills. In addition, they will take home their IoT-connected Raspberry Pi, complete with a kit of sensors, which can be modified and expanded upon at home!

For more details about CC102 Introduction to the Internet of Things, or to register, please see this page.

OSML Supports Marine Corps Expeditionary Manufacturing Initiative

The Marines, often known for their innovation and determination, are adopting maker technology to improve military readiness on the front lines. New capabilities like 3D printing, handheld scanners, and advanced manufacturing are enabling Marines everywhere to “improvise, adapt and overcome” more rapidly.

OSML is a member of the Joint Advanced Manufacturing Region (JAMR) Integrated Product Team, which is part of a national effort to identify and accelerate the adoption of domestic manufacturing capabilities in support of economic security and national defense. Part of this initiative is the development of the Expeditionary Manufacturing (EXMAN) Testbed, a network of self-contained rapid prototyping nodes that can be quickly configured and deployed anywhere in the world. This will give the Marines the ability to redesign, prototype, and produce a part in the field in a fraction of the time it can take to get parts to the front line. Further testing and experiments are lining up for later this year, and will include EXMAN nodes at Camp Pendleton, OSML, UCSD San Diego Supercomputer Center, GE Global Research Innovation Park in Niskayuna, New York, and Intel Corporation in Norfolk, Virginia.