Greetings Makers!  

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others and most importantly please provide feedback so that we may tailor each issue to your needs. All inquiries and feedback may be sent to kalyn@educationalliance.org. Happy Making!                   
  
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WV Maker News 
A Newsletter of The Education Alliance 


Makers Spotlight 
 
by Kalyn Obiozor, STEM VISTA Leader

Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) held their fourth annual maker's festival on Marshall University's Memorial Student Center Plaza. The festival had live music and activities for all ages. Makers show cased their ideas and inventions to a like-minded community of entrepreneurs and innovators.

This was an amazing opportunity for children to see all age from West Virginia making and creating solutions for everyday problem. Maddie Chapmans's pet loving family had an issue with their dogs tracking mud throughout the house after coming in from outside. So, Maddie was inspired to create a solution to her family's problem. Maddie invented a dog paw washer called Paw-Fection. Her creation created an easy way for her dogs to wash and wipe there paws before entering the house.

It truly can be said that RCBI provided a great opportunity for makers to network with other West Virginians who love STEM. Read more Herald Dispatch. 


Virtual  Reality Headsets 
by Kalyn Obiozor, STEM VISTA Leader

Virtual reality headsets and apps are designed for entertaining but are being used more for education.
Virtual reality allows the user to be immersed into a virtual world, unlike regular screens in front of the user which don't allow such an experience. A virtual reality headset shows you an image, often with three-dimensional technology, and as soon as you move your head, it modifies the image. This is what gives students the feeling of really being present in the virtual world.

While advanced VR systems can cost hundreds of dollars, there are a few systems out there on the market that are much cheaper, making this hands-on experience obtainable for all students. The Google Cardboard for instance, is the most advanced and inexpensive VR system available, and most VR apps are compatible with it. This VR system along with others have created specialized virtual reality systems for the education market that assist children with the STEM task in this hands-on world. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Kalyn Obiozor at kalyn@educationalliance.org. 
Innovative Ideas
Do you like drawing or painting? What if you could build a robot that creates its own art? In this project, you will create your own Art Bot, a robot with markers for "legs" that wobbles across a piece of paper, creating drawings as it moves. Click here for more information. 
Maker Updates      

Grant Opportunities: 

The Governor's STEM Initiative
The Governor's STEM Initiative Mini-Grant Program is now accepting applications for Fall/Winter 2017. This mini-grant program serves PreK-12th grade. A pplicants may request up to $3,000 to implement or expand a STEM education project or program. Click here for information. 
 
Toyota USA Foundation
The Toyota USA Foundation is committed to improving the quality of K-12 education throughout the country by supporting innovative programs that improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science. Grants are made to colleges and universities, vocational and trade schools and nonprofit organizations engaged in pre-collegiate math and/or science education. K-12 public and private schools are not eligible to apply. To apply  Click here.

State Farm Companies Grant Program
The State Farm Companies Grant a grant to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies working in the areas of safety, community development, and education.  Grant requests are accepted at any time  Click here .
 
Educator & Professional Opportunities:

Join us for a FREE afternoon of hands-on Halloween-themed science fun for the whole family. Haunted labs, planetarium show, explore pumpkins at the macroscopic level, snakes and tarantulas, slime making, real skeletons, face painting, and much, much more. Halloween Bash will be November 2nd from 2-5 at Marshall University Science  Building. Click here for more information . 

The Actuarial Foundation through its Advancing Student Achievement Mentoring program awards monetary grants to schools and groups throughout the United States and Canada.  Advancing Student Achievement is a grant program that brings together actuaries and educators in local classroom environments with the belief that interaction with real-world mentors will boost students' interest and achievement in math. Click here for more information.