CREATE Lab

The Hear Me display at Square Café has evoked over 60 unique responses from community members since we installed it in May.  

The display features rotating stories from a group of passionate students who are committed to improving their education through the F.U.S.E. program, which was started by a Wilkinsburg high school teacher to give students additional learning opportunities outside the classroom. 

F.U.S.E. worked with Hear Me to record the students’ stories and partnered us with Square Café, a local restaurant who is committed to serving the community. The powerful stories and the display have become a topic of discussion in the café.

It currently features a story form Ashley, a 17-year-old Wilkinsburg High School Student, and asks the question: “How can we help students and administrators better understand each other?” 

Safety at Wilkinsburg High School  By Ashley, 17

Community responses to Ashley's story:

We update the story and the question every 2 months.  

Previous stories include Sophia's, accompanied by the same question:

(“How can we help students and administrators better understand each other?”)

My neighborhood  By Sophia , 16

Community responses:

and Tatiyana's, along with the question "Who is responsible for the learning environment in schools?" 

My School  By Tatiyana , 17

Community Responses:

To stay up-to-date with Hear Me displays and community responses, follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HearMeProject.

For more information or to learn how you can host a display, please email Hoffman.ryan8@gmail.com.

Ryan Hoffman Project Coordinator, Hear Me 

WaterBot users and friends,
The EPA announced that it is inviting the public to submit information related to hydraulic fracturing, in support of its study on the potential impact on drinking water resources throughout the country.  This could include: data, studies, scientific analyses and other pertinent scientific information.  This will support the EPA to inform current and future research and ensure a robust record of scientific information.  Check the Federal Register  for more information.  We encourage all citizen scientists out there to submit your data and stories. 
Deadline is 4/30/2012.

The Arts and Bots project integrates technology, robotics and art through the use of familiar arts and crafts supplies, circuit boards, lights, motors and sensors.  Students design, build and program robots that tell stories of literary and historical characters and events while promoting technological literacy and informal learning.  

Arts and Bots is one of several projects implemented by the Harless CREATE Satellite, a branch of Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab at the June Harless Center.  The satellite provides robotics and technology initiatives to West Virginia schools including Marshall University Professional Development Schools.

Due to its success Arts and Bots, originally designed to encourage middle school girls’ interest in STEM topics, was expanded to include both genders and a larger age group.  The Harless CREATE Satellite enables educators and rural communities in West Virginia a real-time portal to the flow of cutting edge technologies and programs being developed at the lab in Pittsburgh.

Children's Innovation Project is requesting the donation of electronic toys.

This week we will be hosting a group of engineers from the Ford Hybrid Electric Vehicle Calibration group. So, to show off the Ford EVs--and just to get together with like-minded folks--we have decided to have an informal open house at the Electric Garage (4621 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213) on Wednesday October 17 from 6-8:30pm. Come out and see:

Doug Force's, math teacher at Barboursville Middle School in Barboursville, West Virginia accepted the challenge to inject robotics into his curriculum first semester of the 2012-2013 school year. His students used everyday household items to make robots. Once their robots were created, their challenge was to find what they did that pertained to mathematics. Other questions asked were as follows :

1. How do I make something happen on my robot when I get close to it?

2. How do I make a purple strobe light?

3. How do I make something move on my robot?

4.  What is unique about my robot? 

5.  What have I learned from this experience?

Students and their parents brought their robots to teachers' Arts and Bots follow- up meeting this week on Marshall's campus to share them with pre-service and in-service teachers. 

Thanks for the support from Benedum Foudation, next semester, Doug will continue to use Arts and Bots with a new group of students and we look forward to seeing more creative robots!

The waterbot pilot team of Rick Sharpe (Huntingtin High School) and Brian McNeal (Cabell Midland High School) went out Sunday October 7th, 2012 and installed 2 waterbots along fourpole creek in Huntington.  Fourpole creek is a large creek that runs through the center of Huntington including through Ritter Park. Rick and Brian will be utilizing the data captured by the waterbot and incorporating it into their science classes where they already teach water quality. The waterbot will be a great addition to their curriculum and plans to install a third in Martinsbug, West Virginia with a local science teacher there are in the works. 

Come program Finch robots and Hummingbird kit creations at this weeks
mini maker faire at the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh. We will have
four laptops set up to allow kids and adults of all ages to try out
these robots with some no-experience-necessary programming
environments.

We have proposed a Children's Innovation Project Workshop session for the South by Southwest conference this Spring.

This Saturday 22 September from 10:00-2:00, children from Pittsburgh Allegheny who have been working with the Children's Innovation Project, will be sharing ideas at the Mini Maker Faire.

http://triblive.com/aande/moreaande/2488608-74/says-pittsburgh-faire-maker-event-jordan-makers-phillip-ages-mini#axzz26pKJBXKL