Four TAS Alumni – Joan Le (2014), Amanda Peretich (2012), Elizabeth Bullock (2011) and Elizabeth Martz (2007) volunteered at the NOAA booth during the Maker Faire in Silver Spring, MD on September 14, 2014. The Alumni assisted Jeannine Montgomery,
Outreach Specialist from NOAA’s Office of Education, with hands-on activities. The public put their ideas about buoyancy to the test during the “Boat Building Challenge” where they had to design, build and load their boat to see how long it would float.  

Maker Faire participants also learned about how mariners and cultures from around the world began making rope out of natural fibers thousands of years ago and the engineering secrets that they discovered. They explored the strength of rope and unlocked some of these secrets by making ropes of their own in the “Rope Making Activity”. Over 750 families stopped by the NOAA booth to check out these activities!