Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab

The Fab Lab operations committee has voted to condense the listservsdown to three.

The following listservs will continue to be maintained and used:

• Public announcements about the Fab Lab, and Fab Lab events:
  fablab-announce@listserv.illinois.edu
• Fab Lab regulars and volunteers:
  fablab-volunteers@listserv.illinois.edu
• Fab Lab committee and operational discussions:
  fablab-business@listserv.illinois.edu

The following listservs will be folded in to fablab-business@listserv.illinois.edu, since they are not being used:

• fablab-clc@listserv.illinois.edu
• fablab-curriculum@listserv.illinois.edu
• fablab-friends@listserv.illinois.edu
• fablab-it@listserv.illinois.edu
• fablab-steering@listserv.illinois.edu

Business/Operations Committee Meeting -  Agenda
June 14, 2012 7:30 PM

Meeting expected to last no more than an hour, with discussions on any of the given agenda items of between 10 and 15 minutes duration.



1) CUCFL web page

Jeff Ginger has been discussing the possibility of creating a new look and feel for the website.  The goal is to make the user experience easier and more informative. We will discuss implementation strategies to make this happen.

2) Software resources for lab computers

Sorry!  I meant to say there will be 12 people in each group (total of 24)!

On Sunday June 10th, the lab is hosting two sessions for engineering students and summer visitors.  The sessions are from 1:00 to 3:00PM and 3:00 to 5:00PM.  There will be about 24 people in each session so the lab will be full - if you have an urgent project try to come in on another open session or late in the afternoon.  

The fab lab will be hosting a hands on workshop on silver based conductive inks on Thursday June 21 at 7:00 pm. This 2-hour workshop will teach you how to create functional paper-based electronic devices using a rollerball pen filled with conductive ink. This technology, developed in Prof. Jennifer Lewis’ group at UIUC, can be used to link up LED’s, resistors, and sensors in order to quickly build flexible electronic devices.

This upcoming Thursday (the 7th) we're having an informal meeting about updating the fab lab website. We will soon be changing the design and some of the information architecture, and want to make sure everyone has a chance to give input. Find us around 7p in the lab to join. Alternatively you can email Jeff Ginger (ginger@illinois.edu) with your thoughts.

The following Thursday (the 14th, also at 7p) we will then have a formal operations committee meeting to formally approve the new site.

Thanks!

One of the instructors for the summer class "(Re)Making Matter(s): Art & Radical Recycling" dropped by and put up a poster for this summer program.  She will probably be in the Fab Lab this summer, and these classes may be of interest to some fabers.  I guess some of the students may come over.

Info:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Channing-Murray-School-of-Radical-Arts/472...

http://www.facebook.com/events/194550070667455/

The CU Community Fab Lab had a table at the City of Champaign STAR Expo on May 18.  We met with many folks from community organizations.

Here's a strange personal fabrication idea.

The paleontology is somewhat shaky, IMO, but it's an interesting piece of 3D printing.

http://cunicode.com/neopaleo/

Fresh Paint is a 2 day long workshop (8 hrs on Saturday and 6 hrs on Sunday). We will build a 6’x4’ board (for the CuC Fab Lab) and smaller boards 6”x4” (one for each group of participant). These boards will have magnetic and conductive paint and you can use different color LEDs to bring them to life.

Information

A sylized "pteranodon", cut on the Epilog Mini.  Constructed of 1/4 inch plywood, finished with textured paint.

Size is approximately 1.3 meter wingspan, .6 meter nose-to-tail.

The original plans were published on the web at:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-6-0-tall-Wooden-T-Rex-Model/step7/BONUS/

The CUCFL was part of the Partnerships for a Thriving Champaign Urbana conference April 20 at the NCSA.  It was great to meet so many people who are working to create a more livable community.  I hope they make the Fab Lab a part of those efforts.  One example is the work of Christine Moore, who is working with the Prosperity Gardens project near the police station where the public market is open.  The lab might help by making a few wooden garden stakes and signs for the area.  Anyone have any great sayings for a garden that we can laser cut into a sign?  

On May 5, 2012, the Illinois State Science Fair will take place at the Assembly Hall.  Judges are needed to review the over 1000 projects submitted by school children around the state.  No experience is necessary and training will be provided.  It looks like your commitment is 8:00AM to 12:00PM on the 5th.  If anyone is interested they should contact Bob coverdill of I-STEM  (coverdil@illinois.edu) to volunteer.  Sounds like it might be fun!  you can see the science projects from 12:00 to 2:00PM as a visitor.

A recent project from Betty Barrett and Bob McGrath.

This is simple plastic "jewelry", laser-cut in acryllic (see image). 

The butterfly is orginally from a website (http://www.malindarogers.com) which has many drawings that could be used for similar projects.

The project is explained in a document [PDF].