®
NEWSLETTER JUNE 2020
WWW.NOVA-LABS.ORG
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sam Aparicio -
President Email: sam.aparicio@nova-labs.org Slack: @sam
Chats Fri. 7pm
Secretary Email: karen.shumway@nova-labs.org Slack: @karen shumway
Karen Shumway
Shane Smith
Daryl Peace
Mona Davis
Jeff Spugnardi
Jim Girardi
Marybeth Haneline
Margaret Kositch
Brian Jacoby
Vice President of Outreach Email: daryl.peace@nova-labs.org Slack: @dp Vice President of Operations Email: jim.giraldi@nova-labs.org Slack: @jim Treasurer Email: margaret.kositch@nova-labs.org Slack: @margaretk
STEWARDS
Assistant Treasurer and Director Email: mona.davis@nova-labs.org Slack: @mona
Director Email: shane.smith@nova-labs.org Slack: @shane4now Director Email: jeff.spugnardi@nova-labs.org Slack: @jeffspugnardi
Director Email: marybeth.haneline@nova-labs.org Slack: @marybeth Director Email: brian.jacoby@nova-labs.org Slack: @bjacoby
Doug Calvert
Patrick Marstall
Steve Fritzinger
Aaron Goldstein
Patrick Thompson
Paul Chase
Frank Hum
Carrie Hafer
Woodshop Steward Email: doug.calvert@nova-labs.org Slack: @dfc CNC Steward Email: aaron.goldstein@nova-labs.org Slack: @aaron Metalshop Steward Email: frank.hum@nova-labs.org Slack: @fhum
TEAM LEADS
Blacksmith Steward Email: patrick.marstall@nova-labs.org Slack: @patmarstall Laser Lab Steward Email: patrick.thompson@nova-labs.org Slack: @patrickt Crafters Cove Steward Email: carrie.hafer@nova-labs.org Slack: @carrie
Jennyfer Peterson
Patrick Thompson
Jeanne Marshall
Fred Briggs
Fabiana Cesa
Nick Latanze
Operations Services Email: jennyfer.peterson@nova-labs.org Slack: @jennyfer Outreach Team Lead Email: jeanne.marshall@nova-labs.org Slack: @jeanne.marshall Youth Team Lead Email: fabiana.cesa@nova-labs.org Slack: @fabiana
COORDINATORS
Safety Team Lead Email: patrick.thompson@nova-labs.org Slack: @patrickt Entrepreneur Team Lead Email: fred.briggs@nova-labs.org Slack: @fred briggs Facilities Team Lead Email: nick.latanze@nova-labs.org Slack: @nick
Farina Zeb
Michael Douglas
Bob Coggeshall
Jalene Gelana
Education Services Coordinator Email: farina.zeb@nova-labs.org Slack: @fari Software Development Coordinator Email: bob.coggeshall@nova-labs.org Slack: @bobcoggeshall Page 2 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
Network Services Coordinator Email: michael.douglas@nova-labs.org Slack: @mdouglas Volunteer Coordinator Email: jalene.gelana@nova-labs.org Slack: @jalene
Plastics and Composites Steward Email: steve.fritzinger@nova-labs.org Slack: @steve fritzinger 3D Printer Steward Email: paul.chase@nova-labs.org Slack: @paul chase
CONTENTS 04
Letter from the Editor
04
Black Lives Matter
06
Coca-Cola Fills the Gap in Making PPE Face Shields
08
Making classes from TinkerCAD
10
Hawley Donation
12
Woodworking During the Pandemic
14
Institute of the Future Fall 2020 Courses
16
Zooming in on Virtual Classes and Events
26
Happening in June
Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 3
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Other than stopping by the front vestibule once to drop off PPE, yesterday was the first day in two and a half months that I have gone into Nova Labs. Hand-sanitized and masked-up, I took a brief look around the new space at 1930 Isaac Newton Square to get some measurements and go over requirements for audio-visual (AV) equipment in a few of the rooms. If we’ve learned anything the past several weeks, most of us have at least increased our knowledge of video call etiquette (thanks for muting), and instructors who have only ever taught in person have found that they can adapt their classes to online platforms. Personally, freed from the need to drive an hour round trip to Nova Labs, I’ve been able to attend more classes than I have in the past, and for subjects that have been more on the fringe of what I’m interested in. There is always something to learn, and I think that many instructors have learned the potential benefits of offering classes online. As we look ahead to when we can safely access Nova Labs, we’re working to have the tools available for instructors to teach both in person and via video. Zoom classes have been working well at
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Nova Labs, and keeping those around even after things get less weird (because frankly, we may never get totally “back to normal”) would be a positive change. I hope you’re staying safe and sane, have enough 3D printer filament to keep printing PPE (we have literally tons of clear face shield material now as a donation from Coca-Cola), are getting your fill of online classes, and are keeping your kids engaged even as the weather beckons them to their bikes or backyard. This continues to be hard, but hopefully we’ll be on the downward slope very soon. See you on one of Sam’s weekly’ish Zoom calls soon. Andrew Find me on Nova Labs Slack: @andbosta
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our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Black Lives Matter
Nova Labs stands in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against injustice. We mourn the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless other unarmed African-Americans who have lost their lives to systemic racism in our country. We must confront inequality and push for change. Each of us plays a role in protecting basic human and civil rights in our communities. To our African-American makers, family, friends, colleagues, and children: we hear your cries for justice, we see your plight at the hands of institutionalized racism, we believe in your value and potential. As we all navigate the current COVID-19 pandemic, let us not forget our cultural pandemic: over 400 years of systemic racism that our nation has yet to vaccinate itself against. To stop the spread, we must forgo silence, comfort, and inaction. Nova Labs stands in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against inequality and injustice to build a better future. We, as a Board and an organization, are part of the failure. We should have moved earlier to recognize that while we are all united in making, there is underrepresentation of people of color. While we do not yet know the solution, we are committed to gathering the resources to educate ourselves, and we would like both your help and your voice in the conversations. As an all-volunteer organization, we empower our community to lead and create the solutions our makerspace needs. We are dedicated to doing the work to help dismantle systemic racism in our immediate community and do the right thing. We want to ensure our African-American and other underrepresented neighbors, colleagues, friends, and children have access to the tools they need to grow, make, and lead. As a makerspace, we know that one needs access to tools, inspiration, a supportive community, and mentorship to create something lasting. Building an equitable society is no different. It is a Herculean task to reverse systemic racism – but by challenging each others’ implicit biases, striving to be more culturally competent, listening and believing each others’ experiences, and advocating for more equitable policies, we can create an heirloom – together. So grab a tool…let’s start rebuilding a more equitable society together. – Nova Labs’ Board of Directors Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 5
Coca-Cola Fills the Gap in Making PPE Face Shields by Margie Foster
On March 31st, we realized that our PPE effort was about to get a little more complicated. The supply of of clear PETG sheets, the plastic used to make face shields, was running out nation-wide and suppliers were being told not to expect a restock until late May at the earliest. Our volunteers were combing the internet and calling every lead across the country, and every response was always the same — nothing available. The next day, an article came out that Coca-Cola was stepping up to fill the need. The company committed to sourcing and donating 100,000 pounds of plastic sheeting to makers for the production of face shields. This was great news, but how do we get on that list as a recipient? After spending many hours lost in Coca-Cola phone trees, it turns out the answer was Twitter! Wendy Doernberg, the genius who’s been running social media for our PPE efforts, reached out and made contact with MakeIt Labs, the first and largest Page 6 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
makerspace in New Hampshire, and the team coordinating between Coca-Cola and makers across the country. This was just the beginning; it would be another month and a half before we received our donation from Coca-Cola. As it turned out, logistics and coordinating shipping for these donations became a full time job for the makers in New Hampshire. They set up their own non-profit organization called Makers Respond to help establish a supply chain and get resources to maker networks. Just short of three weeks after our first contact, we received an unexpected email that Coca-Cola was donating more rolls and we were at the top of the list! The tricky part would be shipping; we Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 7 could either pay for delivery or coordinate multiple deliveries along the way to justify Coca-Cola providing shipping for free. Jeanne Marshall rose
to the occasion! She pulled out her makerspace rolodex and found other teams who were eager to receive a donation of the shield material. Jeanne was able to place eight rolls all around the area, from Hacksburg in Blacksburg to RVA MakeitThru Alliance in Richmond, up to University of Maryland’s makerspace and out to Makersmiths in Leesburg. Nova Labs signed up for three rolls for our own PPE building and with the intention of making the supply available to other makers in the DC area.
efforts of Makers Respond, who coordinated dozens of deliveries over 14 states — getting materials in the hands of makers so we can help keep safe those on the pandemic’s front line. We look forward to supplying DC-area maker initiatives, as well as our own, with the shield material needed to keep production going as long as needed!
But that’s not the end of it! Once the order was locked in, we had to wait for Coca-Cola shipping to schedule delivery. We also had to figure how to get the rolls from the delivery truck into Nova Labs. Each roll is approximately 1,000lbs, the delivery truck didn’t have a liftgate, and we don’t have a loading dock. So what did we do? Jeanne called Penske, explained our predicament, and they generously provided us with a liftgate truck for only the cost of insurance! With a team of Nova Labs crew, we rolled two tons of plastic from the big delivery truck to the smaller truck, pulled the smaller truck around back and used the liftgate and forklift to get it into Nova Labs. We had the rolls! But what the heck do you do with a half-ton roll of plastic? Leave it to a community of makers to figure that out.
Make It Makerspace and Makers Respond for all the coordination.
The following week, one of our PPE volunteers offered to borrow his neighbor’s spool trailer and set of roller jack stands to respool the plastic into more manageable rolls. You never really know how big a 1,000lb roll is until you spend a whole day in the hot sun with a team of eight, and only get through two-thirds of a single roll. With one roll down to about one-third its original size, another set up on a spool stand welded by Shane Smith on the fly, and a third stashed in the hallway, Daniel Vrolijk and Aaron Goldstein began cranking out shields on the laser cutters. Their work continues.
Shane Smith for welding on the fly and setting up the spool stand.
Most recently, Nova Labs began working with Print to Protect, a student-led maker group in DC also donating PPE to hospitals in the region, to provide enough shield material to fill requests for over 3,000 shields. We are so grateful for the donation from The Coca-Cola Company and the massive coordination
Thank yous go to: The Coca-Cola Company for their hefty donation.
Penske for the wonderful truck and for being so flexible with rental timing. Our members: Brian Jacoby and Dave Fritts for picking up and returning the Penske truck. Rob Moore for bringing his neighbor’s cable rolling equipment and making this whole process possible. Curt Welch, Brian Jacoby, Karen Shumway, Nick Lattanze and Daniel Vrolijk for getting the spools from the truck into Nova Labs.
Frank Hum, Brian Kidwell, Daniel Vrolijk, Shane Smith, Jeanne Marshall, Rob Moore, and Brian Jacoby for spending their Saturday in the hot sun, pushing a 1,000 lb roll of plastic around a spool. Curt Welch for delivering Makersmiths’ roll. Wendy Doernberg for making sure we recognize our donors on social media at key phases in the production cycle. P.S. Hackersburg shared how they broke down their roll. After setting up a spool stand, they used a drill to quickly turn the receiving rod. We love their maker ingenuity! Find me on Nova Labs Slack: @Margie Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 7
Making classes from TinkerCAD by Nick Carter I had come across the electronics simulator from Autodesk when it was 123D Circuits, and had played with it a bit. I used 123D Circuits for some STEM for Kids activities and it seemed to work quite well. In May 2017, Autodesk discontinued its 123D Circuits (Circuits.io) “Electronics Lab” feature and merged it into TinkerCAD. In merging it with TinkerCAD, they co-located electronics design with mechanical CAD, thus improving exposure and availability. They improved its scope in terms of components, but discontinued a feature I liked: the ability to create circuit diagrams, although you can still export files for layout and part-lists. But it was still FREE to use!! I thought TinkerCAD circuits would make a great teaching tool as it was so intuitive and easy to use, so I thought I would try it and made a class for Nova Labs on Intro to Electronic Circuits. This seemed to be fairly successful and I was able to combine the online activity with handling real things like multimeters and components. I found TinkerCAD actually has been approved by Fairfax County schools as a teaching tool, although I think probably the mechanical CAD is used more than the Circuits. TinkerCAD Circuits gives you a window where you can drag on and connect up real looking electronic components that act very realistically when you click “simulate”. It provides a description of each and the connections are clearly marked as to what they do. In the class, I start off by talking about and then building simple circuits, working up to more complex ones as skills grow through the lesson, including new components and experimenting and measuring the circuit with the included multimeters and oscilloscope to see what they do. The realism extends to having the resistors change their color codes (color rings representing value) as you change their value, A Basic Circuit in TinkerCAD coded just like real ones. In exploring the simulator, I found that besides basic components like resistors, capacitors, LEDs, batteries, and transistors, the simulator included Arduino microcontroller and a variety of preprogrammed circuits called “starters.” It also implemented a SCRATCH-like block programming interface that was nicely spliced to a derived window with C++ like in the standard Arduino IDE. The text interface can download to your PC or you can paste your code from PC into it to debug, and yes there is ability to set a debug breakpoint to stop code and look at parameter values. So I decided to implement an Arduino Intro course, too. The simulation is also good enough to allow inclusion of multiple Arduinos in the circuit, which impressed me. Arduino and Block Programming The Potentiometer voltage controls LED intensity using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Page 8 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
So with inclusion of Arduinos they also added the range of things you can connect them to – motors, Neopixels, sensors. This inspired me to add a class on Arduino and Basic Sensors.
Here, you can see how to control an LED
class from a photo (light) sensor
To complete the intro set I recently decided to add Digital Logic (using the included 7400 series logic family) and Analog Circuits (using included amplifier and comparator) to the rotation of classes and am currently planning one a week on a rotation basis depending on demand.
These last two are a bit trickier as each covers a broader range of skills, but I hope to have classes that will teach enough to make people interested to pursue more or have a better understanding of how electronics works. Each class I give is different and the students Two digital logic chips to play with have different experiences using switches as inputs and needs they bring, and with the relatively small classes, I can adapt the classes to what students need on an interactive basis. I find it fun to research and construct the classes, so if there are other topics that I can usefully provide classes using this medium please let me know. If you like figuring out how circuits are connected and work, check out the interactive circuit below on the TinkerCAD website. If you make an account you can copy it and explore the circuit in detail. Try figuring out how the eyes light up, and see if you can change which eye lights without changing the wiring. A hint - not all the wires actually do anything useful. Here’s the project: https://www.tinkercad. com/things/4F68D1D6Bh3
Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 9
Hawley Donation by Anne Savage Evelyn Marie Hawley loved quilting and helping people in need. She was an active volunteer with Project Linus, a non-profit organization that provides handmade quilts and blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need of the warmth and security a homemade blanket of their own can provide. Her daughter, Reston resident Karen Harley, honored her mother, who died in April from COVID-19-related complications, by donating her quilting stash to the greater community. She placed bins and bins of cotton fabric in front of her home for contact-free pick up to supply the largest number of mask makers. When she learned about Nova Labs’ large-scale effort to make masks for front-line workers, she shared a substantial amount of that fabric with us. Page 10 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
This generous donation has enabled us to make hundreds of beautiful fabric face masks for medical professionals, first responders, and other essential workers who need them. Specific beneficaries of Hawley donation masks include HealthWorks, Children’s Hospital, and Unity Healthcare. The photos accompanying this article provide a glimpse of some of the Evelyn Hawley masks in progress. Cutting, assembling, and sewing the masks has been an extensive and heartfelt team effort by Nova Labs members and volunteers, and we are very grateful to the Hawley family for this gift. Thanks to Karen, her mother’s quilting fabric continues to help and protect people in need. Find me on Nova Labs Slack: @Anne_Savage
Completed fitted, “Ninja� style masks
Hawley fabric to the rescue!
High-end quilting cotton makes beautiful masks
Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 11
Woodworking During the Pandemic by Patrick Waters Makers find a way. No matter what is going on outside the workshop, inside the workshop, creativity remains. Woodworking doesn’t have to stop just because the workshop is closed. Here are four ways to woodwork ona small scale. The Hand Tool Shop and Mini-Corner When the zombies come for us, it will be the handtool woodworkers that remake civilization. Hand tools allow for precise work and quality results. Japan has a long tradition of woodworking in small shops. A set of low sawhorses help us break down large materials while not taking up much space. Japanese saws, with their pull motion, are built to take advantage of the size and shape of low sawhorses like these. Instead of a full-sized workbench, try a minibench like Laura Kampf’s. Modifying the design to use nuts and bolts or screws make this project approachable without a major bench. A small power drill (or a brace with bits and a hand drill), a set of chisels, a jack plane, hand plane and router plane round out the hand tool shop. Let’s see what you can come up with! Video: https://youtu.be/ybvuuVRlSWc The Scrollsaw The humble scrollsaw is one of the first (and safest) tools I teach students to use. A well-set up scrollsaw will cut smooth, precise curves from many materials. In fact, with a proper blade choice, a scrollsaw can cut metals, plywoods, woods, plastic and composite materials up to ½” thick with minimal noise and dust. Video: https://youtu.be/ryvuhzAmVpg The scrollsaw has a robust online community of enthusiasts, patterns and projects to keep you entertained and busy. Make lamps, art pieces, Page 12 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
napkin holders, forks, and more. Scrollsaws themselves are compact machines and cheap ones can be had for $50 to $100 new. Really nice scroll saws sell for $500 or more. Be on the lookout for “pinless” scroll saws - these saws can utilize a wider variety of blades than “pinned” scroll saws. Old Deltas and DeWalts are the most common type of mid-grade used scroll saws, and well worth the money. Materials can be bought on Amazon or local craft stores. The Mini Lathe Woodturning is a fantastic corner of the woodworking hobby. It doesn’t need a ton of equipment either - just a lathe, a small selection of chucks, and a few tools. Mini-lathes are small, bench-top sized lathes, usually with a 8” to 10” swing, 12” to 16” between centers and a small motor. While limited in size, these lathes are still capable of creating beautiful objects and allow the maker to concentrate on form and technique rather than size. In order to eliminate the need for buying an enormous number of chisels and sharpening equipment, carbide scrapers cut longer and sharper than HSS tools. The best part is when they dull, you can simply turn the cutter over to a new edge. Lastly, companies like Penn State Industries and The Woodturning Store provide lots of kits and blanks pre-cut and sized for smaller projects. While more expensive (and I know, we hate that) than a DIY solution, the convenience is addictive and might be necessary in these times. The bird mouth bowl is one of my favorite scrapwood projects that utilizes a small number of tools and accessories to create lovely pieces of art. Video: https://youtu.be/V39Chjc-nGQ
Wood Art Lastly, let’s talk about three types of wood-based art forms. The first is carving. Hand carving can be addictive and electrifying to discover as a woodworker. All of a sudden, the wood can be embellished and decorated in any form you can think of or draw. Carving, just like drawing or any fine art, isn’t only about talent — it’s about craft and technique. And anybody can learn a craft or technique. While great tools make carving a pleasure, cheap tool sets are out there for the curious (and some even work). My son loves carving, so we picked up a cheapest clone set we could find and tried it out. It mostly works, although I did need to use my grinder to get the blades sharpened correctly.
Rotary tools, such as a Dremel, can also be put to work as a carving tool with the right bits. A rasp set can help you carve any shape into wood and don’t break the bank. This has been my son’s great entry into the fine arts. Woodburning isn’t just for fireplaces. Pyrography is the creation of images by burning wood. It can create fantastically detailed images… and not cost a lot to get started. Woodburning kits come with a variety of wood-burning bits and accessories. They are like little pens that burn! Or soldering irons for artists! Also one of my son’s favorite art activities, woodburning provides a safe, portable way of doing a little woodworking in the pandemic. Find me on Nova Labs Slack: @woodshopcowboy
Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 13
Institute of the Future Fall 2020 Courses
by Jennyfer Peterson & Karen Shumway
Flipped classroom instruction was pioneered by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, after he realized that his nieces and nephews required tutoring to finish their homework because they lacked subject matter experts at home to help them when they got stuck attempting what instructors call independent practice. Why? Because the teacher assigning the homework is the subject matter expert, but they are generally not available at home. At the same time, they are spending precious contact hours with their students delivering lecture content that largely hasn’t changed in decades and often doesn’t require interaction between lecturer and student. So what if students watch and read content at home and do all the practice in the classroom? Thus the concept of the flipped classroom was born. As a homeschooler, I’ve been teaching flipped classroom science courses for several years, assigning readings and video content through Google Classroom for my students to complete independently, while we do laboratory
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investigations together every week. When America was plunged into crisis schooling this spring, we became acutely aware that public schools are ill-equipped for distance learning, and weren’t necessarily doing a great job of providing engaging scientific discovery and investigation even before school buildings were shuttered. Last fall, I discovered there’s a huge appetite in this area for those investigations nights and weekends. So Jennyfer Peterson, another veteran homeschooler, instructor, and maker, brainstormed last month and the Institute of the Future was born. Our vision is to take the talents and passions and tools of the Nova Labs makerspace community and use them to create the kinds of classes we wish we’d had as K-12 students, or wish our kids could get in a public school. But we don’t want them only available to homeschoolers. We want all of these classes to be available as a livestream and recorded experience, so that anyone can learn, any time. Fall 2020 IoF Course Catalog
THANK YOU for being part of the PPE CHALLENGE
PPE Challenge
Click here for more information
Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 15
ZOOMING IN ON VIRTUAL CLASSES AND EVENTS by Farina Zeb
Nova Labs and its fearless instructors and hosts quickly adapted to offering virtual classes and events over Zoom during the pandemic. Let’s look at the topics surrounding the transition from on-site to online!
1
Need for Virtual Classes and Events
Nova Labs closed its doors March 16th with no certainty as to when its doors would reopen. All classes and events ceased, and our members no longer had access to use Nova Labs tools and resources on-site to support their continued learning and MakerQuest, a commitment to make something they don’t yet have the skills for by learning to make it. At the time of the lockdown, many of our members were vocal that they would stick with Nova Labs through the pandemic by continuing to pay member dues in hopes that Nova Labs will be operational post-pandemic. Member
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retention and improving member experience have always been a focus for Nova Labs, but became more important during the pandemic for our nonprofit, all-volunteer organization. The leadership therefore committed itself to continuing to support members in their enjoyment of making things. Virtual classes was recognized as a means for engaging our members and providing opportunities for continued learning. With our members accustomed to classes and events on-site, we needed to become early adopters in exploring virtual class development and execution. Our ability to adapt, take risks, and be resilient was also dependent on our willingness to step outside of our comfort zones. The worst that could happen, we thought, is that it might not work. Because virtual classes were new to Nova Labs, there was plenty of room to learn and experiment to see what works and what doesn’t work. Limited time and resources in a volunteer environment were expectedly our biggest constraints, but they did not prevent us from moving forward.
2
Fearless in the Exploration of Online Teaching
The same week that Nova Labs closed its doors, a new Slack channel was created solely for events/class announcements, including Patrick Waters’ home makerspace tour; Natalie Abrams’ Professional Artist lecture series; Bo Wernick’s Origami Soda Can class; Siobhan Williams and Adam Grant’s KitchenAid Stand Mixer re-assembly demonstration; Pat Marstall’s home makerspace tour; Nick Carter’s electronic circuits class; Karen James’ Eggery class; Karen Shumway’s Soap Making Workshop; Samer Najia’s Scale Model Basics series; Bryce Peterson’s PCB Electronics Circuit Design classes; Gari Jimenez-Lugo’s Blacksmith series and additional classes that continued into April and May, with classes and events increasing in numbers each week. The instructors and hosts have been working really hard to develop these offerings, and as June begins, Nova Labs has hosted more than 50 virtual classes and events as a result of the collective effort! Although Nova Labs’ doors are closed, opportunities continue to knock for new instructors and hosts to start their teaching and event hosting journeys. The most prominent and commonly shared reason for making this effort is the opportunity to serve Nova Labs by sharing their knowledge, skills, and time with the community. Some instructors even donate back their earnings from student fees.
developed a process for loaning equipment such as tripods and webcams to instructors. Numerous instructors and hosts also took it upon themselves to research and purchase the hardware best suited for them and the format of their class. As they experimented , they set a precedent and standard for similar classes to follow. Gari first introduced the use of OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software) in his virtual Blacksmith series to show multiple camera views on one screen. The same setup was then used by Patrick during his woodworking classes. With each class, each instructor became more advanced in their presentation and delivery of educational content. They continue to develop the sophistication of their online class delivery. Initially it was unimaginable that shop-specific classes could be taught online if they involve tools. Patrick stepped up as a woodshop instructor and figured out an effective method of teaching the Nova Labs community despite the many complexities involved in teaching woodworking online. Similarly, Gari volunteered to offer continued advanced learning through his Blacksmith series, offering over 10 separate advanced Blacksmith classes, all of which involve learning how to use specific tools and understand advanced topics. Nick Carter utilized TinkerCAD in virtual instruction to provide students with a handson learning experience just as they would have with real circuits and microcontrollers.
Starting out, instructors did not have reassurance that their classes would go smoothly and without hiccups. Technical limitations of their hardware, including microphones, headsets, laptops, cameras, and/or cellphones also surfaced. Identifying these limitations, Bryce Peterson offered a free instructor training session. In addition, Jennyfer Peterson Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 17
3
Using Zoom
Nova Labs has been using the Zoom cloud video conferencing platform in order to provide group collaboration and online instruction. Zoom provides instructors and hosts the capability to share their screens, use OBS to live stream in order to offer multiple camera angles, use chat and microphones for communication, and leverage additional features for heightened collaboration such as poll questions and remote annotation. To help limit the chance of zoom-bombing, we require passwords for Nova Labs virtual classes and events. Our staff also created a dedicated Zoom account for events, which increased the maximum number of classes and events that can be hosted at the same time. This platform has been helpful in the success of virtual classes and events.
4
Student Participation
Many students have the habit to approach class instruction online just as they would in class on-site: to not interrupt the instructor and hold the questions until the end of class or until the instructor asks for them. While instructors don’t expect all students to participate and ask questions, many of them hope that the students do not feel reluctant to speak up. Typically if there is silence or no questions asked, instructors continue on with the lesson. As noted by Pat Marstall, Blacksmith Steward and virtual class instructor, “I think the biggest issue is that you can’t ‘read the room’. You can’t judge body language or facial expressions to see if you are resonating with the audience. Most folks have their cameras off and mics muted.” This has been observed by many instructors during their classes. Although the chat feature has been a popular method of communication student-to-student, numerous students have expressed in their feedback that not all instructors make use of the chat feature and check the chat for questions. The chat feature may not be easily accessible to the instructor during instruction depending on Page 18 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
the class being taught and whether the class is lecture-based, demonstration, or hands-on where the instructor is not within close proximity to the device connected to Zoom. Prior to starting each class, it has been helpful for the instructor to share their preferences for communication using the microphone and the chat. As we all adapt to the virtual classroom and recognize how interaction in virtual classes is different from on-site classes, both students and instructors are building new habits in order to take advantage of the many benefits of online education.
5
Education/Events Staff Commitment
The primary focus of our Education/Events staff has been to provide instructor care and support instructors and event hosts. Although the shift to virtual classes and events provided little time for planning and preparation, the process for submitting classes and events has not changed and the class and event workflow that we developed prior to the lockdown is still in use. Instructors and hosts submit the class/ event request forms accessible from the Nova Labs website contact pages. What has evolved, however, is the class development process and the number of checkpoints involved. Instructors are no longer required to have approval from stewards in order for their online class requests to be processed by Education/Events staff. Seemingly a small step in the workflow, it used to take up to 6 days before we would receive steward approval for class proposals. With classes and events being offered virtually, the instructors and hosts submit their request online. The events team then reviews the submission, provides feedback or asks for additional information, and the class is usually posted the same week. Practice sessions with the instructors can be held in the weeks leading up to the class if requested. Online instruction has made it feasible for the events team to join every class and see how the
instructors are doing firsthand in order to better assess how we can continue to support them and identify the resources they need. Shifting to online classes has also provided scalability in terms of how many classes we can offer. With no time lost in commuting, there is increased availability to answer questions and provide support remotely, moderate classes if needed, and address any issues with joining and starting virtual classes. Even if two to three classes and events take place in one night, having them online makes it very easy to join all of them. Overall, this has been beneficial to Education/Events staff in their ability to support instructors.
6
Connecting with the Community Online
One Tuesday evening in mid-March on the way to Nova Labs to meet an instructor, I was listening to an NPR interview of Kevin Nguyen’s book ‘New Waves’. The author explained that the novel explores how well people really know one another online and how well people form true intimacy and connection in a tech-obsessed world. The discussion touched on whether friendships and connections with someone you’ve never met is more authentic or less, pointing out that although you can’t look someone in their eyes online or read their non-verbal cues, unless they have camera enabled, you also don’t jump to conclusions based on stereotypes about their race, age, background or other stereotype.
to be a friend and share helpful knowledge with other members through Slack, although they may not have met one another in person. This hasn’t lessened during the lockdown. Even with more users joining the Slack channels each day, there is still an overall kindness and generosity towards one another to share time and knowledge. This has been two-fold with the online instructors. For example, Nick Carter’s electronics series classes are scheduled for every Wednesday from 7-9pm, but if you join the Zoom session at almost 10pm, you’ll find the instructor and students are still deep in discussion to understand and measure complex circuits. As with the virtual class students, I haven’t met all of our online instructors in person but I have enjoyed learning about them these past few months in our Slack and Zoom conversations, in our discussions of the various challenges with online instruction, and when sitting in virtual classes and watching the instructors have a great time teaching. I could say I have learned more about each instructor through the virtual class development process in the last few months than I did while onsite at Nova Labs; that understanding has felt every bit authentic.
Just a few days later, Nova Labs was locked down. So when we began working with instructors to post virtual classes, I thought more about the authenticity of online connections in the context of the Nova Labs community, the online instructors teaching in the community, and my interaction with instructors and students throughout the virtual class development and delivery process. I’ve always admired our Nova Labs community and its members for how quickly trust is shared and the willingness Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 19
7
Recordings
A known capability with the Zoom platform for virtual classes and events is the ability to record sessions as needed. Once recorded, the raw files can be reviewed and disseminated. Whether the records should be disseminated for free or by sale, and whether the recordings should be shared, and with who, has been a point of discussion between Education/Events staff and the community ever since virtual classes and events were first introduced. We are continuing to evaluate with the community how the recorded content can be handled in a way that is fair and beneficial to both students and instructors, and serves the best interest of Nova Labs. Although there are many advantages of recording classes, there are also many concerns we think about surrounding the handling of the recordings. For example, dissemination of class records may affect the class attendance rate for repeating classes. I can empathize with an instructor that spends countless hours and resources in preparing for a class, only to find that students do not attend and the class must be cancelled.
Labs discourages recording classes and events that show the faces and names of minors. This also takes into consideration that a video recording may be considered an education record under certain circumstances per the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which documents strict rules around how education record videos and images can be accessed, stored and shared, and certain rights are given to parents with respect to their children’s education records. In obtaining permission in advance to record, students and instructors would be made aware that the session would be recorded. What becomes of the classroom and event discourse when students and attendees are informed that the session will be recorded? Classroom and event conversations typically occur unscripted. However, the opinions expressed in a recorded classroom and event could potentially become limited in scope if the students and attendees feel a need to speak differently and more cautiously during the session at the risk that the what they say in the recording could be taken out of context and potentially used against them by someone who doesn’t have good intent.
In an effort to protect the interests of instructors producing content for virtual classes, I asked the Nova Labs instructors in the #instructors-hosts Slack There is also the concern about privacy. The concern channel through a poll to share if they would be is not the privacy of the instructor who opted to have interested in contributing to a Nova Labs library of the class recorded; rather it is that of the students. online class recordings and having their Although permission from each individual shown classes recorded. and/or heard in the video would be needed, Nova 17 instructors responded with the following:
While this poll did not factor in whether there would be monetary benefits in sharing recordings, discussions ensued in the channel regarding monetization of recordings and identifying ownership and royalties between Nova Labs, the instructors, and the camera operators and video editors. This will be an on-going and evolving conversation as Nova Labs considers the benefits and drawbacks the benefits and drawbacks of recording both virtual and on-site classes. What are your thoughts on the topic of disseminating class and event recordings? Page 20 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
8
Virtual Events
In addition to classes, a number of members reached out to education/events staff proposing to host Nova Labs virtual events. These virtual events feed the community’s longing to reconnect and socialize with their Nova Labs community in a time that is both physically and emotionally trying. The events serve to engage members of the community, provide an opportunity to relax, and be reminded about the joy of making, connecting, collaborating, and sharing. Such events include Mending Monday, Kinetic Sculpture Build Team, and meetups for Raspberry Pi and Arduino, and the 3D Printer interest groups, as well as the upcoming Members Show and Tell event. Nova Labs community members have also hosted events from their homes with Paul Chase, Samer Najia, Patrick Waters, Patrick and
Marstall providing tours of their home shops and makerspaces, and the Nova Labs community experiencing their first virtual dinner party. On May 15th on the #events_announcements channel on Slack I asked the Nova Labs community
“In addition to continued virtual classes, what type of new Nova Labs community virtual meetups would you be interested in joining?� Of the 57 responses, results showed interest in the following areas. See below graph. Areas with no responses included virtual readaloud and book club, and health/well-being. We intend to take this information and work with our community members develop these events that members are interested in participating in.
Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 21
Virtual Event: Mending Monday With Sally Byers and Jeanne Marshall reintroducing Mending Monday in May as virtual sessions, one could wonder how the sessions would be different than they had been pre-Covid. The initial virtual Mending Monday provided an opportunity for members of the community to share their mending projects and ask questions. Members would share their projects and talk through the issues they would run into when attempting to mend. It also provided an opportunity to check in with one another, how is everyone during this pandemic? Sally then shared a proposal for a subsequent session in late May, describing that the first virtual session had led them to reflect on mending in various contexts and the exploration of meditative mending. Sally noted that although the emphasis on the virtual Mending Monday session would be a little more on the meditative and contemplative side, it would not be a guided meditation. The group would mend what they need to mend but members would also discuss what it means to mend in this culture, exploring the question: What in your world needs mending? We would discuss the relative merits of visible versus invisible mending, also prompting a reflection on what the intentions behind mending are. Jeanne asked, is the intention to show something was broken and repaired through visible mending, to show that it was never broken and repaired, or to transcend the original, adding a level of ornament and expression of creativity that adds to the piece [beyond its original state]? Prior to the Mending Monday session on May 25th, Jeanne also shared the Yes! Magazine article “In a Breaking World, Mending Takes on More Meaning” authored by Ruth Terry, for the community to reflect on. The author explores the concept that mending worn garments is considered a quiet revolutionary act that restores integrity to an object and our relationship with it. The article goes on to describe that we’re in a time when Coronavirus exposes all the things we knew were Page 22 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
broken down and we could never find the time, money, or political will to fix. Adding to those are the things that were broken during the pandemic, including our cities, our bodies, our minds, and our hearts. The article explores how Coronavirus also reveals opportunities available for fixing those things through the act of mending. Members of the Nova Labs community are invited to return for the next session of meditative mending to be announced in the month of June.
Virtual Event: Nova Labs Virtual Dinner Party Curiosity started cooking when a Nova Labs Dinner Party event was announced at the beginning of April. How would a community dinner party be possible given the social distancing recommendations and stay at home orders? On April 24th, hosts Patrick Waters, Jeanne Marshall, Jim Sweeney, Nick Carter, and Adam Winsor used their magic and collaborative efforts to surprise the community with Nova Labs’ first dinner party and provide the full dinner party experience…online. “Every wondered how to throw a class dinner party?” Patrick described. “This isn’t the event for you. This is the event to get that slow-cooked, made-with-love, only-found-with-friends type of mind-altering taste buds melting, sugar-high-giving night you remember from your childhood.” Patrick clarified, “This isn’t a night about food, it’s a night about giving the best of yourself to family. And we cook a little.” Not falling short of expectations, the virtual dinner party experience was memorable and unique for the Nova Labs community. At 6:45 PM approached and dinner guests began to trickle into the Zoom session, they took ease in the ambiance set by the music selection, each track intimating the dishes that will be prepared and served by their dinner party hosts. At 7 PM sharp, the guests watched and waited in anticipation as they were brought to the front door of Patrick’s house. Greeted with a friendly “Howdy!” from the
host in a Shinyribs shirt and cowboy hat, the guests watched as Patrick motioned for them to step inside his home. Guests virtually followed behind Patrick as he led them into the kitchen where he thanked everyone, described what it meant for everyone to be joining the dinner party, and introduced his kids who were skillfully operating the cameras. The dinner party continued through the night, switching between homes and dishes, stories and reflections, discussion of cooking techniques and experiences, laughter and witty banter. The hosts served guests platters of inspirations and aspirations. It was also heartfelt to see how each of the hosts’ families were involved in the production and success of the dinner party. Guests would watch as tiny hands reach over to grab pieces of gimbap as Adam continued to cut new rolls, each slice disappearing in the blink of an eye. We got to learn more about our community members as they joined us from within their homes while preparing and sharing their favorite dishes and beverages. “This is the big question,” Patrick interjected halfway through the dinner party. “You don’t cook because it tastes good, you cook because something happens when you do it. I know for me, it’s the only time that I’m going to get Lillian and the boys at the table at the same time, it’s the only time I get the whole family together. And that means a lot to me. It means a lot that I can sit down and get everyone together and, for whatever reason, that is what I love most about it.” Patrick went on to surprise each of the hosts with impromptu requests to share their emotional memories. “What is your favorite memory of cooking from your childhood?” Patrick asked, followed by questioning why hosts love making what they made. Hosts laughed as they were caught off guard, these were not the questions they were told to prepare for and had to be quick to dig out their memories and process them in front of the guests.
The night wrapped up at 9:05 PM with talk of the next time the community would host another dinner party. The hosts quickly volunteered guests, each other and themselves; Jeanne will be making beignets so Sam Aparicio will be making paella, and Patrick volunteered Shane Smith to team up as Nova Labs’ barbeque aficionados. Before each of the hosts and guests were thanked and goodbyes were exchanged, the community was invited to continue planning the next dinner party event and sharing their making journeys together on the #foodsmiths slack channel. Members of the Nova Labs community are invited to be a host or be a guest for the next virtual dinner party. Post your inquiries in the #foodsmiths channel for planning.
Virtual Class and Event Surveys After observing the transition to online classes, Keith McGerald, Nova Labs co-founder shared “On the bright side, you guys have gotten all this online attendance stuff going so now we can attend even if we can’t get to the Lab. Remote attendance would bring more people or offer an alternative for people that aren’t feeling up to a trip to the Lab […] With two young kids, there are times when I can’t go [to the Lab] but I could attend from home.” When asked about Nova Labs areas for improvement observed over the years and to this day, Keith responded “For me, the biggest room for improvements have been remote attendance for meetings or “hands off” classes.” I was interested in hearing more about our community’s experiences with online Nova Labs classes and how our virtual classes could be further improved which led me to process surveys to check in with our community’s students and instructors.
Find me on Nova Labs Slack: @fari
Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 23
Students Survey Results On May 15th I surveyed a sample of 30 students consisting of both Nova Labs members and non-members (guests and attendees) for their experiences with Nova Labs virtual classes, inquiring the following: • Overall experience with Nova Labs virtual classes (Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor) • Interest in teaching (Yes, No) • Favorite and positive experiences with Nova Labs virtual classes • Recommendations for improvement of Nova Labs virtual classes • Recommendations for additional class offerings The chart shows the number of virtual classes and events offered from Nova Labs’ lockdown through May 31st and students’ feedback on their experience.
Instructor Survey Results On May 15th I surveyed each of the online instructors for their experiences with Nova Labs virtual classes and feedback for the education/ events staff. A few questions that were asked include: • Overall, how has your experience been with teaching Nova Labs virtual classes (Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor) • What has been one of your favorite and positive experiences from teaching a Nova Labs virtual class? • What specific equipment would you like for Nova Labs to acquire and loan for class instruction [that is not being loaned already]? Based on the survey results returned by six (6) instructors, we observed that: • 2 instructors had an “Excellent” experience with teaching Nova Labs virtual classes • 2 had a “Very Good” experience • 2 had a “Good” experience. Page 24 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
Instructors Q&A Instructors were asked “What has been one of your favorite and positive experiences in teaching a Nova Labs virtual class?� Six (6) instructors responded with the following:
Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 25
HAPPENING IN JUNE Calendar of Events Provided by Instructors and Randall Wood
Some of the Main Attractions in June are below. Event names are clickable. 6/10/20 6/10/20 6/11/20 6/13/20 6/13/20 6/13/20 6/15/20 6/16/20 6/17/20 6/20/20 6/20/20 6/21/20 6/22/20 6/22/20 6/22/20 6/22/20 6/23/20 6/23/20 6/24/20 6/24/20 6/24/20 6/24/20 6/25/20 6/25/20 6/26/20
6/28/20
10:00 19:00 15:00 9:00 11:00 15:00 19:00 15:00 10:00 10:00 13:00 14:00 9:00 9:30 12:30 19:00 9:30 12:30 9:30 10:00 12:30 19:00 9:30 12:30 9:30 19:00
IoF: Physics and Engineering for K-5 WW: Wednesday Night Project Series: My First Dovetail IoF: Help for High School Chemistry Bunks Across America - Help build beds for those in need Nova Labs Outreach fixer hamage AC: Rocketry Design Nova Labs Virtual - Members Show and Tell! IoF: Help for High School Chemistry IoF: Physics and Engineering for K-5 Robotics Group Online Meetup NVIDIA Jetson GPU Online Meetup Kinetic Sculpture Build Team - VIRTUAL ST: STEMSkills Summer Camp (week) RO: RobotMakers (Rising 6th-8th Graders) WW: SUMMER CAMP FOR TEENS 2020: Woodworking Bootcamp AC: Mending Monday (Meditative) RO: RobotMakers (Rising 6th-8th Graders) WW: SUMMER CAMP FOR TEENS 2020: Woodworking Bootcamp RO: RobotMakers (Rising 6th-8th Graders) IoF: Physics and Engineering for K-5 WW: SUMMER CAMP FOR TEENS 2020: Woodworking Bootcamp WW: Project Series: Quick Finishes (and Why you Choose Them) RO: RobotMakers (Rising 6th-8th Graders) WW: SUMMER CAMP FOR TEENS 2020: Woodworking Bootcamp RO: RobotMakers (Rising 6th-8th Graders) RO: Pushbot Phantasm (Rising 7th-10th Graders)
Page 26 | June Newsletter | Nova Labs
for Teens 14+
for Teens 14+
for Teens 14+
for Teens 14+
POLICY MINDER Nova Labs has entered the Phase I re-open, a step that allows Board members, Team Leads, Stewards, Assistant Team Leads and Stewards, and volunteers working on priority projects access to the space as they work to make sure Nova Labs is awesome and fully functional when we are allowed to open.
SAFETY REMINDER If you have been approved to use Nova Labs facilities during the COVID-19 Phase I re-open, make sure you wear a face mask at all times, maintain social distancing wherever possible, and wipe down surfaces behind you as you leave.
TEACH AND HOST EVENTS WITH NOVA LABS! Nova Labs is built on collaboration and sharing expertise. We’re always looking for motivated members who are interested in helping to create quality learning experiences for our Nova labs community. We also invite you to ask about our current instructor’s incentive program! For teaching and event hosting inquiries, contact Farina (email farina.zeb@nova-labs.org or message @Farina on Slack). Submit the “Teach a Class” form for class proposals: https://www.nova-labs.org/teach-a-class/
Nova Labs | June Newsletter | Page 27
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