Session 11 – Nate Matteson of Obstructures and DePaul University

I talk with Nate Matteson of DePaul University’s School of Design and the industrial design company Obstructures. Nate’s company Obstructures makes aluminum guitars, wallets, pedals, and many many other useful tools. In addition to that, and most importantly, Nate is an excellent design educator and brings his practice into academia to help elevate his students’ potential in design. In this session, we talk about Nate’s personal projects related to sound and light, his work with Obstructures, and how that way of thinking translates into education.

Show Notes:

Session 10 – Otherworldly Sounds, Amateur Radio, and the Ur of Maker Culture with Brian Davis

I talk with Brian Davis (W9HLQ of Hamfesters Radio Club, of Crestwood, Illinois), amateur radio operator and educator of future HAMs. Brian has been an operator for over half a century, and has seen the shift to computerization, and now, has started working with makerspaces to pass on his knowledge of amateur radio to others. In this session, we talk about the HAM community, how it relates to maker and tinkerer culture, one of Brian’s newest inventions, and some of the weird sounds and other things you hear when you’re on air.

Show Notes:

Pictures from the recording:

Session 8 – Pottery, The Unintended Result, And Art Of I Don’t Know With Hayne Bayless

I talk with Hayne Bayless, potter, board member of Studio Potter literary journal, and board member of Pots on Wheels (POW!) about his work, his methodology, and the art of “I don’t know.”

Hayne’s work has been awarded the top prizes at some of the country’s most important craft shows: the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, D.C. and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.

Other than lessons from a potter in Tokyo and a handful of classes and workshops, he has managed to avoid any formal instruction in ceramics. He abandoned wheel-throwing early on, preferring the freedom of handbuilding afforded by slabwork and extrusions.

Show Notes:

Galleries that carry Hayne’s work:

Photos of Hayne’s Studio (all credits Kathryn O’Neill)

Session 7 – FIRST Robotics in Education and Community Representation with Jackie Moore

In this podcast session I talk with Jackie Moore, Chicago Knights FIRST Robotics team founder and coach, makerspace organizer, Chicago Southside Mini Maker Faire organizer, educator, and many, many other things. Jackie and I sit down to talk about the philosophy behind making — and making with other people — and what that means about how we can learn from each other. That, and much more, on session 7 of This Should Work.

Session 6 – Aligning Maker Principles and Educational Learning Standards with Sarah Margalus

I speak with Sarah Margalus, reading specialist, educator, and maker. Sarah talks about how to integrate maker-centered learning principles with 21st Century Learning Standards: a practical way for teachers with not a whole lot of time to integrate maker learning into the classroom.

Disclaimer: Sarah is my wife. Also, an interesting person in the maker movement and educator.

Show Notes:

Session 5 – Conducti, STEM Kits for Kids, and Hackerspaces with Rachel Hellenga

In this session, I speak with Rachel Hellenga, President of Conducty (www.conducty.com), museum exhibit builder, and expert maker. Rachel talks about the challenges of designing environments (particularly education ones), the magic of makerspace communities, and the development of her company, Conducty.

Show Notes:

Pictures of Rachel’s Conducty Creations:

Session 2 – Making Conference Badges, Custom Hardware Products, and Scaling Up with Rudy Ristich

Rudy Ristich, Vice President of Workshop 88 and the technical mind behind the Thotcon hacker conference badges joins the podcast to talk about scaling your own custom hardware projects up, his background in electrical engineering, and how that informs his making process.

Show Notes: