A common trend in libraries is adding makerspaces. In the Tampa Bay Area, the best-known is likely The Hive at John F. Germany Library, but many other libraries are involved in the community. One such space is Innovation Lab (Makerspace @ SPC), located at the Seminole campus of Saint Petersburg College. Chad Mairn came to speak to us about this space, which is used in conjunction with classes, but also holds non-class events as well.
Although the space may not be as large as some of their neighbors, they pack a lot of activity into the space. They have 3D printers, electronics tools and more. They focus on workshops and collaborative learning, which makes sense for a library at a college. There are activities happening all the time, keeping the maker community in Pinellas County engaged.
Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.
Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.
