Connecticut makers get ready, set, and go! Make48 has an event coming to Hartford!
Eight teams have been chosen to compete at MakerspaceCT this fall (October 7th - 9th, 2021). The top two winning teams from the Hartford event will advance to compete at the Nationals competition, slated for March 2022, where one team can win $10k.
The challenge sponsor for this event is Stanley Black & Decker, the trusted brand for tools and innovative solutions since 1843. Founded and headquartered in Connecticut, Stanley Black & Decker has manufactured tools and created jobs in the U.S. for 175 years. They're recognized around the world as the company for makers and innovators, the craftsmen and the caregivers, and those doing the hard work to make the world a better place.
Meet the teams heading into the Hartford competition, where they will need to unlock their imagination and create a brand new idea under the theme of “Outdoor Lifestyle.” A world of endless possibilities in this challenge! Teams will learn more about the design challenge when the competition starts including price point, manufacturing costs, and other criteria.
Now let’s meet your teams!!
My 3 Sons - Ron, Tim, Dan, Jeff
Ron spent 6 years in the US Navy, worked for Verizon for nearly 35 years, and is now retired. He’s looking forward to working with his 3 sons at Make48. “This is a chance of a lifetime, for a father to be involved with his children. Taking a thought and turning it into a prototype and pitching your ideas with them is just unbelievable.”
Tim is a mechanical engineer by degree but a systems engineer by trade with a masters in business administration who has loved the art of design and manufacturing from an early age and can always be found designing and building something in his garage from a prototype to furniture. As an early adopter of the home 3D printer, Tim has spent thousands of hours printing parts for newly designed items and replacement parts for himself and all his friends.
Dan graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and he’s worked in the field for the past 20 years. He’s looking forward to the challenge that Make48 brings and the accessibility to tooling, techs, and professionals that the program provides, as well as looking forward to a fun filled event designing a real product with his father and brothers.
Jeff is an Eagle Scout and has earned an electrical engineering degree. Now he makes a living as a power maintenance engineer for a large communications company, repairing electrical equipment and designing new power systems. Jeff spends his free time in his garage building things out of scrap that is laying around, and he looks forward to testing these skills in Make48's competition.
Magic Make - Phoebe, Alex, Victoria and Constance
Phoebe is a mechanical engineer working in design and analysis for clients like Blue Origins, Pratt & Whitney, and Collins Aerospace. Motivated by projects and ideas that may create better futures for our planet and people, projects she’s worked on include: an innovative city water distribution solution to remove the need for plastic water bottle sales, compost toilets that are simple to make for developing markets, water softening alternatives for a community in Ethiopia, and setting up a design challenge to solve refrigeration in off-grid developing markets.
Alex is a Mechanical Design Engineer with almost five years of experience in aerospace structure and engine design. Previously he was an accomplished automotive technician, heavy equipment mechanic, and machine operator. In his personal time, Alex helps coach a youth scholastic shotgun team.
Victoria is the STEAM Director at the Stonington Community Center (COMO), where she plans, designs and implements STEAM programming to engage both youth and adults in support of the COMO Makerspace and Pottery Studio. Passionate about providing access to emerging technologies and engaging students in creative learning that gives them the confidence to explore and take risks, Victoria is a facilitator for Girls Who Code, a free after-school program aimed at closing the gender gap in technology. She also runs a Girls Who Make program, which provides a supportive and safe environment for girls and gender-expansive youth.
Constance is a Speech Language Pathologist, currently employed by Catholic Charities of Washington D.C. at the Lieutenant Joseph P Kennedy Institute. In her work with the Special Needs Population, she’s very interested in community inclusivity and accessibility.
Accelerator Inventors -Kyle, Pranavi and Siddhant
Kyle is a computer science major at Three Rivers Community College. He is excited to be a part of this innovation competition!
Pranavi is a student enthusiastic about consumer economics and digital analytics. A seasoned inventor, she is passionate about designing solutions for everyday problems while using it as an opportunity to learn about and conduct market research.
Siddhant is a junior at Cheshire High School. As an avid inventor, he has designed, prototyped, and created multiple award-winning projects, entering them in the CT Science and Engineering fair, the CT Invention Convention, and the Invention Convention US Nationals. Siddhant enjoys tinkering with Raspberry Pi prototyping boards, working in Computer Aided Design (CAD), 3D Printing, and playing the acoustic guitar.
≥9K - Austin, Katie, Mike and Ben
Austin dreams of a desk with a window view. He enjoys designing machines, growing plants, and long walks in the woods, where he’s probably thinking about threaded fasteners.
Katie graduated from the University of Connecticut with an electrical engineering degree and has worked the last 5 years in test systems and firmware. In her free time, she loves to play racquetball. She hopes her love of sports will bring another outlook to the Make48 challenge and help her team to succeed.
Mike may be a professional data nerd that works in business intelligence, but he got started as a maker. At the age of 15, Mike taught himself to be a swordsmith, a maker experience that taught him to problem solve, innovate, and seek out new knowledge. From there, he went on to get his bachelor’s and master’s degree, worked in 3 separate career fields, picked up a host of hobbies, started a small farm for a food bank, and rescued an amazing dog.
Ben has been an active origami artist for over a decade. He has exhibited and taught origami design internationally, published a book on origami design, and has used the practice to drive the acquisition of manufacturing skills. The discipline has taken him into learning about cutting paper with laser cutters, making wood frames for his artwork, metal working, 3D design, as well as niche corners of recreational mathematics. He operates and works out of a studio in Essex, Connecticut where he sells origami art, hosts classes, and holistically works to stretch the limits of material folding as a study.
Pathways Panthers - Anthony, Laxmi, Katelyn, Viveca
Laxmi is in her final year at Pathways Academy. She loves thinking of new solutions to problems, which also ties into the career field she hopes to enter: the medical field. This passion along with her interests in bringing these ideas to life brought her to participate in Make48.
Anthony is the captain of the Pathways Panthers. He was a Facilitator of Advanced Manufacturing at PELabs and is now pursuing a certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Machine Technology.
Katelyn is 17 and a rising senior at Pathways Academy. Her interests include nature and art, with some of her favorite activities including going on adventures, reading, and spending time with friends.
Viveca (not pictured) is a senior at Pathways Academy. Her love for entrepreneurship and experience in creating videos led her to the Make48 competition. Her passion for creating things also ties in with the career path she hopes to pursue: becoming a fashion designer.
Hartford Hawks - Alissa, Omario, Ava and Colin
Alissa is a junior 3+1 Marketing Major at the University of Hartford. She recently held a summer internship with Travelers Insurance supporting their Web Strategy and Operations department within Content Marketing. Alissa is from Meriden, CT and currently serves on three executive boards for public relations and marketing.
Omario is 20 years old, and from Mahwah NJ. A Junior at the University of Hartford, Omario is pursuing a degree in Biology, where he enjoys problem solving.
Ava is a junior majoring in computer science, and minoring in both mathematics and data science at the University of Hartford. She loves to keep busy with many extracurriculars such as being the current president of her school’s STEM chapter, as well as working on many side projects coding, drawing, and learning about space!
Colin is a junior at the University of Hartford majoring in Health Sciences, with a goal to go to medical school and specialize in orthopedics and sports medicine. Colin is also an Eagle Scout, and for his Eagle Scout project, constructed benches and ADA compliant handicap accessible picnic tables for his high school. Colin always looks forward to new challenges, trying new things, and working with other people to achieve common goals.
Coast to Coast - Gustavo, Dirceu, Victor and Lincoln
Gustavo is a student at Trinity College, majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science. Originally from Chicago, Gustavo has a special talent of being able to see opportunities and what can come from them. His greatest motivation is his parents.
Dirceu is a junior at Trinity studying mechanical engineering and computer science. He is passionate about automotives, specifically electric, and would like to be involved in a car project. In his free time, Dirceu likes to listen to all sorts of different music genres, play soccer, and go out with his friends.
Victor is an Engineering major with a concentration in mechanics. He's originally from Los Angeles, CA but was born in Lima, Peru. Victor decided to pursue engineering as a career because he’s always considered himself a numbers guy, but more specifically wants to pursue an aerospace or automotive engineering career. Victor is excited to be a part of Make48 and can’t wait to face any challenges along the way.
Lincoln is a computer engineering and computer science major at Trinity College, originally from Zimbabwe. Following the death of his father in 2008 due to lack of good medical infrastructure, Lincoln has been inspired and motivated to use engineering and technology to impact people’s lives in any way possible. Lincoln’s greatest talent/strength is connecting with people around him.
CBI Makers - Steven, Gwen and Jeff
After a 35 year hiatus, Steven is woodworking again. Inspired by the birth of his granddaughter, Steven joined MakerspaceCT last February, where he crafts wooden toys. Steven enjoys challenges, problem solving, creating, and sparking smiles.
Gwen has an art background having worked as a freelance illustrator at many of the major publishing houses and magazines in New York and Boston, as well as drawing toys for Hasbro/Playskool. As a serious hobby, Gwen worked with metalsmithing and jewelry design. She approaches everything through a creative lens.
A lifelong tinkerer and builder, Jeff loves working with his hands. You can usually find him in his workshop working on some old, tired appliance — trying to save it from the landfill — or at home or his rental property, hanging shelves he built or installing light fixtures (using the skills he learned from his training as an electrician). To Jeff, there is no greater satisfaction than being able to say: “I did that.”Connecticut makers get ready, set, and go! Make48 has an event coming to Hartford!