Get creative at Make-a-Thon

Bright minds of middle school students and older are invited to foster their creative energy with fellow creators at this year’s Make-a-Thon. The one-day workshop from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, requires teams of thinkers to use creativity, programming skills and Makerspace resources to complete an assigned challenge.

All Make-a-Thon projects will be showcased at Maker Faire Lake County on April 13, where Maker Faire attendees will vote for winners in two categories: Most Aesthetically Pleasing (everyone is going to want this stylish contraption) and Entrepreneurship Expert (this solution is ready for the market).

April 13 is also the date for CLC’s Open House and the opening of Prairie at Brae Loch, the new location for CLC’s student-managed restaurant.

“This is a great opportunity to learn new skills in a fun, low-stakes environment,” said CLC Engineering Department Co-Chair Jan Edwards. “We encourage everyone to be curious and just keep prototyping.”

Sign up with friends or be assigned to a team. Register at the middle school level, high school level, as a community member (18+) or as an all-ages team. The workshop kicks off with an introduction to coding.

Participation and the use of an Arduino kit and electronics are free, funded in part by a grant from Baxter International Foundation and the College of Lake County.

To register, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/make-a-thon-coding-making-problem-solving-tickets-723931958977?aff=oddtdtcreator. Additional information is available by contacting CLC Engineering Department Co-Chair Jan Edwards at jedwards1@clcillinois.edu