In Fishers, Indiana, Make48 hosted their fourth 48-hour innovation challenge of the year at Maker Playground, with Corteva Agriscience and the Indiana FFA spearheading the event. This year, seven teams brought forth brilliant ideas for the "Agricultural Education" challenge, set in an inspiring environment.
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The Maker Playground proved to be an excellent venue for the competition. This event marked the second occasion the Maker Playground has hosted, the first being in 2022, also in partnership with Corteva Agriscience. Directed by Nick Snyder and situated within the Fishers Parks & Recreation department, the Maker Playground serves as a hub of creativity and innovation.
Corteva Agriscience played a pivotal role as the sponsor for this challenge. Teams created an interactive display to educate the public about the FFA and agricultural sector, highlighting its varied and beneficial influences on communities and professional pathways. The objective was to correct common misconceptions and showcase agriculture's dynamic aspects. After a series of compelling presentations, the winners were announced.Â
The team from Hamilton Southeastern FFA, consisting of Ellie Taylor, Meghan Haws, Eliza Uliczny, and team captain Sam Uliczny, excelled and secured the Best Innovation award. They will go on to represent their school and Indiana at the national competition in Kansas City this November. Additionally, they won the Best Pitch award, as determined by audience votes during the judging phase.
Team Agricadabra from Purdue Polytechnic High School received the Best Agilities award from the DeBruce Foundation. Team members Violet Parkhill, Sophie Glassley, Eddie Zimmerman, and team captain Dustin Homan, effectively applied the foundation's Agilities framework to creatively address the challenge. [See all teams here]
A handful of businesses, tool companies, and local establishments supported the 48-hour competition over the weekend. Teams were supported by mentors and tool technicians from local businesses and organizations, including Maker Playground, Corteva, FFA, DFA, ShopBot Tools, Onshape, and Fastenal.Â
Many makers from the Indianapolis area came to Fishers to volunteer. They included past participants like Gregg Nowling, Kelly, Jason and Tyler Tuntland, and Miles Davis, and past volunteer/tool tech Curtis Wiltse. New faces included Tim Kennedy, Dutch Honingh, Spencer Leonard, and Cole Maklin. We want to give a huge shout-out to our Tool Techs, especially Miles Davis who stepped up last minute to be lead Tool Tech. And to the Tuntalnds, who went the extra mile to help the teams and get parts for the trophy. All of you were our MVP’s this weekend!
Lastly, a very special thank you to Heidia Spahn (Corteva Agriscience), Amanda Mullins (Indiana FFA), and Scott Stump (National FFA) for believing in our vision and the challenge. Make48 is very thankful for the support and dedication from everyone throughout the weekend. We are excited to return to Indiana next season. In the meantime, enjoy the Sizzle!
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