Maker Faire is an event created by Make magazine to “celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset.”  Started in 2006, the event has quickly become a wildly successful event, drawing over 100,000 people to San Mateo.  This year, the San Mateo  County Board of Supervisors even declared May 19 and 20 “Maker’s Weekend” with this inspiring proclamation:

WHEREAS, Maker Faire celebrates the County of San Mateo’s creativity, ingenuity and the Do-It-Yourself spirit, and

WHEREAS, it brings together artists, crafters, engineers, hackers, food makers and scientists who like to tinker and who love to make things; and

WHEREAS, this family-friendly weekend encourages resourcefulness, green ethos and an overall passion for learning among Makers of all ages; and

WHEREAS it reaffirms the value of Makers, risk-takers and innovators in San Mateo County as contributors to both the community and humanity;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED that the Board of Supervisors of San Mateo County hereby designates May 19th and 20th, 2012 as Maker’s Weekend in San Mateo County and urges every member of our community to continue to foster the innovative and creative spirit of a Maker.

Athenian students showcased their work this year for the first time.  More than 20 students participated in the event from the Applied Sciences and the Art and Science of Making classes.  After months of planning, tinkering, testing, building, and rebuilding, the students submitted their work, prepared detailed poster presentations, and demonstrated their knowledge and their creations at the Faire.  Some of the many projects included a mood reader, a self-balancing robot, and an audio-to-video translator.

Student Projects at Maker Faire

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http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf

Photos from Maker Faire

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View more photos here.