The National Finals of the NAO Challenge will be held in Longmont at The Longmont Museum in association with The Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley School District. The Longmont Museum is currently running a Robotics Exhibit, constructed with the help of many Tinkermill members.


June 27th, 2015 at the Longmont Museum in Colorado.

• Introduction: 9:00-9:30 am
• Testing time for teams: 9:30-11:00 am
• Competition: 11:00-3:00 pm
• Score calculation: 3:00-3:30 pm
• Awards Ceremony: 3:30-4:30 pm

Several local schools are involved, including:

- Skyline High School  
- Niwot High School  
- Mead High School  
- Silver Creek High School  
- D'Evelyn Jr/Sr High School

There are currently 14 teams competing.

Please attend and support the many communities present!

Learn more at these links:

https://www.aldebaran.com/en/nao-challenge-usa-final 
http://innovation.svvsd.org/ 
https://www.aldebaran.com/en/nao-challenge-usa-final 
http://svvsd.org/updates/nao-challenge-high-school-finals-coming-longmont-june-27th 
https://www.aldebaran.com/en/humanoid-robot/nao-robot

That's right.  On our 2 year anniversery, we hit over 1,000 meetup members!

This weekend Longmont residents have the chance to fix what they may think is broken thanks to TinkerMill and the Eco-Cycle CHaRM (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials) facility.

In conjunction with Boulder CHaRM, TinkerMill will be hosting a U-Fix-It clinic on Sunday, June 14, at 1840 Delaware Place.

TinkerMill is a local makerspace that provides various equipment and space for members to hack and create. CHaRM, located in Boulder, is part of Eco-Cycle and allows people to bring in items that are not easily recycled or are harmful if thrown away (like electronics).

"(The clinic) is a way to get people to think about fixing something instead of throwing it away," said Lynne Davis, co-director of the event. "We provide a place and some coaches and open it to the public."

Coaches from both TinkerMill and CHaRM will be on hand to help people fix whatever may be broken including appliances, toys, electronics or devices.

Davis said the event came about because some TinkerMill members went to one of the U-Fix-It clinics CHaRM in Boulder occasionally hosts, and got CHaRM and TinkerMill connected.

"We're doing it in Longmont at TinkerMill because it's a really fabulous space," said Dan Matsch, executive director of CHaRM. "Makerspaces are really proliferating in a lot of places but TinkerMill is a special place among makerspaces."

There have been nine U-Fix-It Clinics thus far, but this will be the first one in Longmont. Matsch said these kind of clinics are important to teach people to "take back ownership" of their possessions.

"I think everybody understands that there's something wrong with the way we handle our possessions right now," Matsch said. "The lifetimes of our material objects are so ridiculously short and there's virtually nothing we fix anymore. It's an opportunity to re-experience or experience for the first time what it means to actually fix something, and to do it yourself is really empowering. You can learn some basic ways to diagnose whether something is fixable and some simple methods for fixing and just take back ownership."

Davis said this event falls right in line with what TinkerMill is trying to provide for Longmont.

"It's a place where we are trying to promote people coming and being innovative and taking on the task of building something," Davis said. "This just fits right into our charter."

There will also be a U-Fix-It clinic in late August at the Longmont Public Library.

To sign up for a time with a coach or learn more go to: http://tinyurl.com/orsea2l



http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local-news/ci_28277483/tinkermill-host-first-u-fix-it-clinic

Yea.  We know.  You'd never guess it but TinkerMill was the event owner/host for Longmont Startup Week.  Our founder/president instigated it (against some people's 'better judgement'). as a Startup Longmont project back in early 2015.

We keep a low profile during the week in order to keep the focus on the event itself and we have to say:  Fantastic job to the volunteers who did the work.  In particular Jennifer Ferguson (Event Director) and Jon Rice (Marketing & Content Director).  

It was outstanding.  50+ events.  90+ speakers and panelists.  20+ venues all over Longmont.  Very professionally done.  Excellent regional turnout of people from all over Longmont, and the state in general.  All on a shoe string budget.

Coverage in the local paper outlines what went on, all week long:

Monday:  Anythings Possible.
http://www.timescall.com/business/local-business/ci_28230581/longmont-startup-week-keynote-anythings-possible-community

Tuesday: Tasting your way to startup success.
http://www.timescall.com/business/ci_28239139/longmont-satrup-week-tasting-your-way-startup-success

Wendsday:  Women and the entrepreneurial spirit.
http://www.timescall.com/business/ci_28247452/longmont-startup-week-women-and-entrepreneur-spirit

Thursday:  Artists talk passion, profits.
http://www.timescall.com/business/ci_28255360/longmont-startup-week-day-4-artists-talk-passion

Friday: Startup week finishes on a high note.
http://www.timescall.com/business/ci_28261664/day-5-startup-week-finishes-high-note

Many TinkerMillians helped as key volunteers, and we thank you.  And, of course, huge thanks to all those who helped sponsor the event.

http://www.timescall.com/business/ci_28125308/longmonts-tinkermill-scores-50-000-colorado-state-grant

http://longmontcompass.com/tinkermill-wins-50000-grant/


The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade has awarded TinkerMill a $50,000 business infrastructure grant!

This is a partial award resulting from our $100,000 application earlier this year to support TinkerMill's accelerated build-out of an Advanced Prototype Manufacturing Facility and Gigabit Information & Technology City.

Huge thanks are due to:

• Jessica Erickson for bringing this grant opportunity to us and shepherding us through the process.
• Lee Sutherland for his amazing writing and dedication to pulling this off so quickly
• Our industry and community partners who provided letters of support for this grant:
  • Archethought
  • B Street Technology
  • Diabase Prototyping and Engineering
  • ExtractCraft
  • Longmont Area Economic Council
  • Jeff Moore
• Our generous grantors for providing the initial funds that this grant is matching:
  
  
  • City of Longmont
  • Longmont Area Economic Council
  • TinkerMill Members

Thank you all!

Yep.  And it's cutting out a vacuum mold form here.  Nice stuff!

That's right!  We've not got a glassworks studio at TinkerMill.

That's right.  We've got a brand new circuit board prototyping lab at TinkerMill.   

Full write up by TinkerMill member Patrick Van Oosterwijck (who's responsible for getting this puppy running..thank you Patrick!)  here:

http://www.achanceofbrainshowers.com/2015/5/1/neoden-tm245p-tinkermill/

Special thanks to the City of Longmont who made this purchase possible with a $60K grant to buy and make available equipment for prototyping new products and helping us to build new businesses at TinkerMill.  Thank you City of Longmont!

Over 800 members of our meetup group in around 18 months.  Not bad...