Category: Press

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University will host the state’s second annual FIRST LEGO League (FLL) regional qualifying tournament on Sunday, Nov. 16, beginning at 9 a.m. in Plumley Armory.

Groups of 9-14 year olds around the country have been tasked with researching a real-world scientific issue and designing and building an original robot in the FIRST^® LEGO^® League (FLL), an event designed to inspire children in science and technology through the use of robotics.

Using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technologies, teams of tech-savvy kids will showcase the results of weeks of intense preparation as they deploy their robots to complete thematic challenges in autonomous robot matches. Teams connect with their local and global communities by using critical thinking, creativity, and math/science/engineering concepts to create and present innovative solutions to real-world challenges.

Each year the challenges are based on a theme. This year’s theme, “World Class – Learning Unleashed,” challenges teams to invent new and better ways of helping people learn.

With 24 teams of up to 10 students each, along with coaches and parents, there will be much to see throughout the day, and spectators are encouraged to attend. In the afternoon, there will be presentations by the NAO Robotics Club, the CNC Machining and 3D printing lab, and the structures and materials testing lab. Also, the Sullivan Museum and History Center, the state’s only Smithsonian Affiliate, will be open to the public.

The opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the robot matches, take place at Plumley Armory. At other locations across campus, teams will give presentations on how they came up with their technological solutions and complete challenges to demonstrate their ability to work as a team—an important component of the competition.

According to its website: “[The FLL Core Values] are among the fundamental elements that distinguish FLL from other programs of its kind. By embracing the Core Values, participants learn that friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals, and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork.”

After teams check-in, Lars Hasselblad Torres will give opening remarks at 9:00 a.m. Formerly the director of Vermont’s Office of the Creative Economy, Torres left the post recently to take over as the executive director of Burlington’s makerspace: Generator. As someone who knows a lot about innovation and creativity, Torres will help the students kick off the big day.

Robot matches begin at 9:40 a.m., with judging occurring throughout the day. The day will conclude with an awards ceremony around 3:45 p.m.

Source
Published on October 29, 2014, Seven Days Newspaper

Plenty of fright fans have dressed up for Halloween as Leatherface, the gruesome villain of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. But how many have worn an actual leather mask?

It’s no picnic to craft one, as native Vermonter Eric Roy could tell you. More than a decade ago, when he was working as the art director of a musical theater production of John Milton’s Paradise Lost in Laguna Beach, Calif., Roy picked up an unusual artistic passion: creating hand-tooled leather masks. (And unlike Leatherface’s, they’re not made of human skin.)

“For the angels and demons, we wanted something that would separate them from the mortals in the piece,” Roy remembers. A local artist, called in to create masks for those characters, gave Roy a crash course. Soon, Roy was experimenting with the scraps of leather the artist had left behind.

“I just kind of fell in love with the material,” he says. “I’d done some work with papier-mâché and sculptable plastics, and it didn’t really enthuse me. But as soon as I started playing with this, it was kind of like coming home.”

“This” was vegetable- or oak-tanned leather, which is relatively malleable while wet but extremely rigid when dry. The mask-making process that Roy learned was intensive: He’d hand-cut the leather, then wet it and massage it to fit the contours of a customer’s face, a process he had to repeat several times. It took hours to create a single mask — even before he added decorative designs, paint or surface treatments.

“It’s been parked in the hobby space [for years],” Roy admits. “The templating stages would take several hours. I’d be hand-cutting pieces with an X-Acto knife, so there were limitations in terms of how intricate the designs could be. Given the cost of the material as well as the time that went into it, it was never something that I could sell and charge adequately for my time.”

These days, though, Roy is churning out masks at a much faster rate. As the October artist-in-residence at Burlington’s Generator maker space, he’s been taking advantage of new technologies such as a laser cutter and 3-D printer.

“I was able to overhaul a decade-long process in a few weeks,” Roy says. Now he uses the laser cutter to eliminate the hours spent hand cutting, and digitally etches patinas and other intricate designs onto his masks. All told, he’s cut his production time by two-thirds, to the rate of one mask per hour, “while enhancing the quality of the finished product.”

Roy started hanging out at Generator as a volunteer and soon became a studio member. During parts of his residency, he admits, he was there at all hours. And not just for the machines but for the maker community. “The peers that I have [here] are able to temper me and sharpen me in ways that are going to propel me forward,” Roy says.

That’s exactly the goal of residencies in the maker space, says former executive director Christy Mitchell, who launched the maker-in-residence program at Generator in June. (Mitchell, who’s also the owner and creative director of S.P.A.C.E. Gallery on Pine Street and a mixed-media artist, turned the reins of Generator over to Lars Hasselblad Torres last Friday.)

“[Roy] was able to expedite his process completely, to the point where he’s going to be able to start a company,” Mitchell notes. So far, seven businesses have formed under Generator’s roof, crafting products such as drones, puzzle maps and buildings.

“That’s what excites us,” Mitchell continues. “And it doesn’t just excite us, it excites the state; it excites the local government as well, where they’re realizing, Wow, Generator’s not only super cool and fun to talk about, but it’s actually generating jobs.”

As for Roy, he has no employees yet, but he has plans to tap into local and regional theater and events markets. Next year, he hopes to capitalize on the spooky season. Perhaps he’ll even craft a literal “Leatherface” for some future Halloween.

METZ SEES MAKER SPACE MAKING DIFFERENCE
Published October 23, 2014
Source

After nearly six months, Burlington’s Generator space is making things happen, Charlotter Michael Metz told The Burlington Free Press in a story that appeared in its Oct. 15 edition. The nonprofit startup accelerator based in Memorial Auditorium has bred seven businesses and boasts 47 members, including “an industrial designer working on a cellphone accessory for athletes, a business that wants to make custom puzzle pieces maps for schools, and a jeweler who’s exploring ideas for opening her own store,” writes the article’s author, April Burbank. Perhaps most exciting for Generator, the organization has hired Lars Hasselblad Torres, director of the state’s Office of the Creative Economy, to run the organization.

With memberships, studio rental revenue and fundraising ahead of expectations— It has secured $250,000 in donations and in-kind support—Generator has a lot to look forward to, Metz notes. However, there is one issue: the space at Memorial Auditorium, which boasts a room filled with studios, computers, a 3-D printer, laser cutter and other tools. Metz and the Generator board are exploring options for new spaces or new partnerships.

Congratulations to Board Member, John Cohn on being awarded the 2014 Alumni Distinguished Achievement Honoree.

SOURCE

John M. Cohn’s (E’91) passion has impact. From cutting edge computer chip design to addressing world issues through technology to sparking budding scientific curiosity, the Carnegie Mellon University alumnus is helping to change the world.

Cohn is widely regarded as a pioneer in chip design automation, garnering more than 65 patents, 30 technical papers and contributions to four books on the topic through his 33 years with IBM. He was named an IBM Fellow in 2006, the company’s highest technical honor, given to just 246 people in IBM’s more than 100-year history.

As excited as he is to further science and technology in his day job, he’s even more enthusiastic to share that passion with youth. His dedication extends from his favorite activity — a traveling road show filled with shooting fire and electrified pickles — to educational videos and a stint on Discovery Channel’s engineering survival show “The Colony.”

“I believe science is beautiful, like music or art, and my interest is in sharing that,” Cohn said. “The best thing is when somebody gets excited about it — you can see the look in their eyes.”

“I know how important it was to me as a kid,” he added. “A child shouldn’t reach adulthood without being exposed to that visceral love of science, technology and materials.”

The self-described ‘space age baby’ grew up in Houston among astronaut families, drawn to taking things apart and refurbishing them.

“I watched every launch,” he said. “It was so much a part of our existence and a huge influence on me. I never remember not loving science.”

Cohn came to CMU for his graduate degree in electrical and computer engineering, attracted by the school’s impressive reputation and personal atmosphere.

He credits his time at CMU for much, including an invaluable network and helping him to crystallize his professional strengths.

The 2014 Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award recipient credits his time at CMU for much, including an invaluable network and helping him to crystallize his professional strengths.

“The network of people that I met have been incredibly helpful to me, professionally and in my other passions,” he said. “The connections I made at CMU were absolutely key.”

In 2009, Cohn appeared on “The Colony” in an effort to inspire a wider audience but found himself equally inspired by working once again with his hands. He transformed his career and is now a key figure helping IBM realize its vision of a “Smarter Planet.”

Along with his work, he enjoys using technology to design musical instruments, festival Ferris wheels and to further the Maker movement, among countless other activities.

In the best Tartan tradition, however, his greatest passion is his youth outreach.

“It’s where my heart is, where I’m most proud — the fact that I’m reaching kids,” he said. “Even grown-up kids like me.”

Source, published on OCT. 21 2014.

Lars Torres will depart the state’s Office of the Creative Economy on Oct. 24. He’ll take over as executive director of Generator, a combination artist studio, classroom and business incubator in Burlington.

Torres has led the Office of the Creative Economy since March 2013. Before taking the job, he opened Local 64, a coworking space in Montpelier. Torres has at least 15 years experience across the arts, public policy, education and community development, according to a 2013 news release announcing his entry into state government.

“I was ready to dive back into entrepreneurial world,” Torres said Tuesday.

“Vermont is at a uniquely ripe moment to be fostering entrepreneurialism and innovation among its small startups and independent creatives,” Torres said. “I wanted to be somewhere where that would be the focus of our efforts.”

He said the tools available to the state’s economic development efforts tend to fit larger entities that already have solid business footing and are poised for economic growth.

Lisa Gosselin, Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development, in which the OCE resides, praised the work Torres did while being spread very thin across many different areas.

“He made a lot of wonderful connections,” Gosselin said. “He really looked at supporting existing organizations. And frankly, when it’s a one-person office, that’s what we really have to do: look to who can be our eyes and ears and arms and feet.”

Gosselin said the department intends to formally recruit for his replacement, but the timeline for filling his position is flexible.

In Fiscal Year 2014, Torres earned $59,144 in base pay, plus benefits, according to public records from the Department of Human Resources.

Source, Published October 15, 2014

When Burlington supported the launch of a new space for science, art and creativity at Memorial Auditorium in late March, organizers weren’t certain of success.

“We’re feeling our way,” Michael Metz, president of the Generator board of directors, said at the time. The budding nonprofit had unveiled a room with studios, computers, a 3-D printer, a laser cutter, sand blaster and other tools, and it was looking for a sustainable business model, which would be evaluated over the summer.

After about half a year, Metz now says the initative has been a success, and it will probably stay in Memorial Auditorium for at least two years.

Seven businesses have been born in Generator, using “rapid protoyping” tools and support available there, according to the organization’s first annual report, which was released Tuesday. None have yet graduated to find their own space.

The 47 members at Generator include an industrial designer working on a cellphone accessory for athletes, a business that wants to make custom puzzle-piece maps for schools, and a jeweler who’s exploring ideas for opening her own store.

“I think just from a progress perspective, we’re very satisfied with where we are,” said Doreen Kraft, executive director of Burlington City Arts and a member of Generator’s board of directors. “I’d give it a B+,” she said, before revising that assessment to an “A.”

Generator is one of a group of startup accelerators, coworking spaces and maker spaces that have recently sprung up in Burlington — including a new MakerLab at Champlain College and a coworking space for startups at the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies in Burlington, which opened this week.

‘A unique moment’

The budding nonprofit also recently announced a significant hire: Lars Hasselblad Torres will soon become executive director, leaving a job as director of the state Office of the Creative Economy.

Torres calls Generator “a design and fabrication sandbox.” He said he’s excited to get to know Burlington’s entrepreneurs and technology innovators.

“I think Burlington is at a unique moment in its startup culture,” Torres said in an interview.

Torres wants to draw businesses to Burlington by marketing a “made in BTV” movement.

“How do we celebrate the Queen City as a hub for restless innovators anywhere on the East Coast, anywhere in the country?” Torres asked.

In its annual report, Generator cited a Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council news release that ranked Vermont 48th out of 50 for business-friendly policies.

“At Generator, we understand the obstacles to business creation and offer important support for small business development in our region,” the report stated.

Generator also has an educational goal: Anyone can experiment with the tools there by becoming a member, and members who are teachers have brought school children to the space. Burlington City Arts organizes educational programs at Generator, and Metz is excited about bringing in top students from Champlain College, the University of Vermont and Vermont Technical College.

The nonprofit wants to reach out to “underrepresented groups” such as veterans, New Americans and women, and provide scholarships for low-income members.

Fundraising, memberships and studio rental revenues are ahead of expectations, Metz said — though other costs, like the adaptation of Memorial Auditorium and labor costs, exceeded budget.

The organization raised more than $250,000 in donations and in-kind support through the summer and has pledges for future years.

Matt Penney, a shop operations manager who oversees the metal department at Generator in Burlington, discusses the future expansion on Tuesday.

Blueprints

The organization needs to decide where it’s headed, physically. Burlington is allowing Generator to remain in the historic city-owned Memorial Auditorium annex through the end of 2016, paying rent with money received from 12 studio rentals.

Rent to the city is currently about $1,800 per month, said Kraft, the executive director of Burlington City Arts.

“We have a issue here with our size,” Metz said as he sat in a corner of the space on Tuesday. “I wish this were 5,000 square feet larger. We could have more tool sets.”

Eventually, Generator may choose to move to Pine Street — Metz said he’s eying the old Burlington Street Department site, which could be redeveloped in partnership with Burlington City Arts — or consolidate spaces with Champlain College.

Under a third option, after discussions with the city, Generator might expand within Memorial Auditorium.

For now, however, Generator’s members and leaders are still getting used to the first floor.

“This is theoretically going to be our woodshop,” Metz said, leading a tour toward tools on one side of the room that still aren’t set up. “We have to have a ventilator, it has to be sealed from the atmosphere. …. Right now, we basically have tools for our own build-out.”