Looking for Volunteer and Teams at the 2010 National Maker Faire

With eCYBERMISSION registration now open, travel for the 2010-2011 competition year is under way! Recently, eCYBERMISSION staff had the pleasure of accompanying the U.S. Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) during the National Maker Faire in Detroit during July 31-Aug. 1. The Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that took place at The Henry Ford in Detroit, Mich. More than 20,000 area Makers took part in the event. Also in attendance was RDECOM's Tank, Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), headquartered in Warren, Mich.. TARDEC staff were displaying the next generation of military vehicles, advances in energy storage devices, the latest robotics and conducting an interactive robotics competition for Maker Faire participants.



The event was a fantastic opportunity for eCYBERMISSION, in conjunction with RDECOM, to spread their educational outreach by providing information about the U.S. Army's eCYBERMISSION scholarship program for middle school students and the SMART (Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation) Scholarship for Service Program established by the Department of Defense to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The importance of STEM education is the driving force in building the future of business and security in the United States.

eCYBERMISSION's Charlene Bridges (right) speaks
with TARDEC Director Grace Bochenek (left).

The eCYBERMISSION staff made a lot of great contacts during the fair and would like to also take this opportunity to welcome a new team, The Bobbers, to the competition. During a robotics competition at the faire the team won the "People's Choice Award" for a robotic buoy that samples pollution in rivers. Good luck in this year’s competition team!

The buzz and excitement we met in Ohio and Michigan should put the teams across the country on notice! This years competition will be fun, exciting and extremely competitive. Be sure to register your teams and Accept the Challenge!