Author Archives: Theresa Willingham

About Theresa Willingham

Creative Partner with Eureka! Factory, and co-author of the book, Makerspaces in Libraries , for the series “Library Technology Essentials” (Rowman and Littlefield, 2015), I am also the Regional Director for FIRST STEM education programs in Central Florida. The meaning of life, is the meaning we bring to it.

Gulf Coast MakerCon 2016 in Review

Posted on April 13, 2016

Gulf Coast MakerCon 2016, wrapped up Saturday, April 9, as our biggest and most successful event yet. The whole idea of the event is to create an opportunity to network and share skills, crafts, ideas, and innovations born and raised in our Florida Gulf … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Gaming, Gulf Coast MakerCon, Gulf Coast Makers Festival, MakerCon, Makers, Makers Festival, Makerspace, Robotics, STEM, Young Makers | Tagged education, Electrathon of Tampa Bay, Gulf Coast MakerCon, Gulf Coast Makers Festival, MakerCon, Makers, makers festival, Southeast Combot Championship

Meet the Future Makers: SeedRegion1

Posted on April 8, 2016

We’ve got several great networking and resource organizations joining us this year, all evidence of the growing community of Makers spanning both sides of our Bays, from Tampa to Sarasota. SeedRegion1 is one of them. Kyle Nurminen, founder of SeedRegion1, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, MakerCon, Makers, Makers Festival, Makerspace | Tagged cowork, Crowther Roofing, entrepreneurship, Gulf Coast MakerCon, Gulf Coast Makers Festival, Kyle Nurminen, MakerCon, Makers, makers festival, SeedRegion1, small business

Meet the Maker: Brian Bombei, of Coaster Modeling Enthusiasts of FL

Posted on April 8, 2016

Brian Bombei, the founder of Coaster Modeling Enthusiasts of Florida, makes something big – really big: roller coaster models out of K’Nex! He told us a bit more about what he does and why he does it.

Posted in Education, Gulf Coast MakerCon, Gulf Coast Makers Festival, Makers, Scale Model, Young Makers | Tagged Brian Bombei, Coaster Modeling Enthusiasts of Florida, Gulf Coast MakerCon, K'Nex, MakerCon, Makers, physics, roller coaster, STEM

Meet the Garden Maker: Loretta Buckner, of We Grow From Here

Posted on April 7, 2016

We’re Making things indoors and out, this year, and planting the seeds of sustainability this year, with Loretta Buckner, owner and master gardener of We Grow from Here. We Grow From Here was founded as a non-profit in 2010 to … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Gardening, Gulf Coast MakerCon, Gulf Coast Makers Festival, MakerCon, Makers, Makers Festival, Sustainability | Tagged Gulf Coast MakerCon, Gulf Coast Makers Festival, Loretta Buckner, MakerCon, makers festival, Permaculture, Sustainability, We Grow from Here

Meet the Maker Support: FSBDC at Hillsborough County

Posted on April 7, 2016

We’re really excited about all the great resource groups for Makers joining us this year. One of our favorites is the wonderful but often underutilized Florida Small Business Development Center at Hillsborough County (FSBDC) . Carol Johns, Director of the Hillsborough … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Gulf Coast MakerCon, Gulf Coast Makers Festival, MakerCon, Makers | Tagged entrepreneurship, FBSBDC at Hillsborough County, Gulf Coast MakerCon, Gulf Coast Makers Festival, MakerCon, makers festival

Meet the Makers: MakerVenture

Posted on April 7, 2016

A new exhibitor this year, MakerVenture , is working to bridge ideas, and spaces to develop them, with the resources people need to be successful. Cofounders Matthew Mason and Brandom Mead told us a bit more about Maker Venture and what … Continue reading →