OSE goes to Wis.

Days 16-19

Interns at Factor e Farm took a road trip to mid-state Wisconsin this week to host a CEB Press-building workshop and attend the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, where Founding Director Marcin Jakubowski spoke.

Most of the interns are staying in tents at a camp  site for fair-goers.

On Monday Marcin and ten interns stuffed themselves into a 15-passenger van, along with food and camping supplies for the next five nights and almost all the parts for a new CEB Press.

Workshop attendees, the interns and Marcin pose for a group photo at the end of the second day.

Leaving Factor e Farm in Maysville, Mo., around 3 p.m., we arrived at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association headquarters in Custer, Wis., around 2:30 a.m. (in the pouring rain).

The first part of the three day workshop started at 9 a.m. the next day at Mid-State Technical College in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. Ten people attended the workshop over the course of the three days.

Marcin started it off by explaining OSE’s mission, what the workshop is for and how it’ll work.

Next, the interns and attendees went over to one of the workshops for a crash course on welding from a MSTC welding instructor who was also attending the workshop. He showed them how to make a solid weld.

Then everyone practised welding for an hour. After lunch people split up into small groups to begin building different parts.

The second day consisted almost entirely of people continuing work on the parts they started the day before. Some groups managed to finish their assignments fast and help others with theirs.

OSE interns Emily Dixon (right) and Graham Coffman quench a machine part. Photo by Marcin Jakubowski

Assembly happened after lunch on the last day. Everyone stayed three hours after the workshop was scheduled to end and four interns came to help Marcin finish up this morning at the Fair.

The interns came with in the van are Moriah Baltz, Juan Bennazar, Greg Buckland, Graham Coffman, Guillaume Coudray, Emily Dixon, Victor Macul, Clair Sprenger, Sam Turner and Stephen Whiting.

Returning intern Edo Licina drove from Miami to meet everyone else at the workshop and will stay at Factor e Farm until September 15.

Marcin talks about OSE at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair.

Interns (right to left) Greg Buckland, Clair Sprenger, Guillaume Coudray, Emily Dixon, Victor Macul and Grant, who attended the CEB Press-build workshop, wait for Marcin Jakubowski to give his keynote address Friday afternoon. Photo by Greg

At 1 p.m. today, Marcin shared OSE’s mission and achievements in a presentation at the Fair’s main stage. The crowd reacted enthusiastically as he cracked jokes and made his case for open source hardware.

Marcin and the interns will head back to Missouri Sunday morning, after spending the remainder of today and tomorrow attending and volunteering at the fair.

Sam Turner contributed to this blog.