Made at theCO: Watering Raspberry Pi
Have you ever left for vacation and come back to dead or dying plants in your living room?
It happened to me last month, and I was frustrated with feeling like I would never have a green thumb despite my best efforts. Then I heard about Watering Raspberry Pi, a robot built and created by Dev Catalyst students from Lexington High School. The robot is designed to automatically water your plant via a soil moisture sensor, meaning you could go on vacation and not have to worry about your plants!
Dev Catalyst Becomes CSforAll Member
“Support local change,” “increase rigor and equity,” and “grow the movement.” These are three things that one would see when first opening the CSforAll webpage. The CSforAll Consortium is a effort started by the National Science Foundation to make computer science accessible for all students nationwide. Recently, the organization has added Dev Catalyst, a program of theCO, as a new consortium member alongside big tech companies like Google, Dell, Facebook, and Teach For America.
CO.STARTERS Spotlight: Seth Nelson
Most early teenagers are starting high school and spending their free time hanging out with friends, but at the young age of fourteen, Seth Nelson was busy starting a business. Nelson’s homegrown business, The Farmer’s Perk Organic Coffee Co., started from scratch with only $400 and a kid’s entrepreneurial spirit. He bought fold-out tables and air pots and began showing up every Saturday morning at the farmers’ market to serve Jacksonians coffee while they browsed the produce.
What is a hackathon?
Jackson will see its first ever hackathon this August, and theCO is excited to host it. But you may be thinking—what is a hackathon?
“Hackathon” is pulled together from the words “hack” and “marathon” and typically last several days while people (in this case, developers, designers, entrepreneurs, and engineers) meet to collaborate on computer programming. This hackathon will be an entire weekend event, lasting from Friday, August 17th at 5:30pm to Sunday, August 19th to 5:30pm with the theme being “It’s Always Been Done This Way” in an effort to encourage hackers to use their ingenuity and creativity to come up with new and improved tech solutions to old problems.
Our Jackson Home: 731Day Porchfest
There are few things more perfect on a summer night than live music on a front porch, and this 731Day, we're bringing Jackson's first ever Porchfest! Enjoy FREE and family-friendly music from local musicians throughout the historic LANA/midtown area (specifically Wisdom Street and Division Avenue) in the hospitable yards of your Jackson neighbors.
Introducing theVenture
Driving Innovation is a program launched by theCO in October of 2017, but it wasn’t until the beginning of this year that it really came into full swing. January was the start of a lot of new things for theCO, and the different buses that make up Driving Innovation were no exception, each having their own specific undertaking. theLab, the first of these buses, focuses on STEM education and has been visiting various kid’s camps, festivals, high schools, and colleges since this spring. Now finishing their second creation, theVenture, Driving Innovation is shifting its focus to small business owners and entrepreneurs for this specific bus. The end goal is to have three unique buses altogether, but the last one is still in the process of being developed.
Member Spotlight: Dave, Zach, & Sam Roberts
theCO sees countless new faces every year, and when the summer rolls around, kids start showing up with their parents to participate in camps, build things in the makerspace, or print pieces on the 3D printer. Dave Roberts and his two sons are no different, as they joined theCO this spring. Dave works a physician assistant and also teaches as an adjunct at Bethel University. He says teaching his EKG class is a reason he enjoys theCO, since it is a workspace outside of his home, where his five kids are constantly running and playing.
Summertime Learning at theCO
When school lets out at the end of May, most kids head to the pool, play outside, and visit the beach with their families. But some parents may want more educational activities for their kids during the summer. Luckily for the Jackson community, theCO offers workshops and summer camps for kids with technological abilities to develop their skills and learn about robotics, microcomputers, and more.