Citizen Science: TechShop is coming!

Hi everyone, Nancy here.

At the Museum, there is never a shortage of tinkering going on. Whether it be someone on the facilities staff trying to safely extract a broken bulb from a light fixture or the exhibits technicians working on the propulsion rocket exhibit or our staff mechanic maintaining our train engine, there are always opportunities to creatively solve problems and create new things.

Growing up, both my dad and older brother were both into working on cars and motorcycles. These days as a hobby, my brother still designs and builds engines for IHRA class dragsters. When dad wasn't doing automotive restoration, he indulged in other hobbies like building and repairing shortwave radios and telegraphs and woodworking. My mom was very patient and tolerant of all of the random things that entered our home and the things that never left...We had a spare room and a shop in our basement so there was plenty of space to work.

DIY and hobbies serve a lot of benefits for people. They can reduce stress, aid in problem-solving and memory retention and some projects can even save you money. Sometimes, ideas and materials can get so big that there isn't always space to work on them where you live. Enter a very cool concept called TechShop.

TechShop is a membership-based workshop that gives you and other creative people access to a wide variety of tools and equipment, expert training and classes on how to use them and introduces you to a wide community of people who like to think big and make cool things.

Check out the TechShop community website to learn more.

Stay tuned and stay curious,
-Nancy