2025 Des Moines Mini Maker Faire Exhibitors

FTC Team Photon

A team of high school students from Ames High School, Team Photon designs, builds, and programs a robot to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge each year. Come see us demonstrate our 2024-2025 competition robot!

 

FRC Team Neutrino

A team of 30 high school students from Story County, Iowa, we design, build, and program a robot each year for the international FIRST Robotics Competition. Come meet the team and see us demonstrate our 2025 robot!

 

FRC Team ICE

FRC Team ICE (Innovation, Collaboration, Engineering) is a high school robotics team based in West Des Moines, Iowa. As part of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), Team ICE designs, builds, and programs industrial-sized robots to compete in global challenges. The team emphasizes teamwork, problem-solving, and STEM skill development, while also promoting outreach and mentorship in the community.

 

Tim Ferry & Little Creators Club

Learn the basics of board game design with Tim from Never Board Games and turn an idea into a playable board game in just a couple of hours. We supply the instruction and materials to help you build a playable prototype. No prior design knowledge needed to enjoy and learn.

 

NASA Solar System Ambassador Dennis Johnson

Dennis Johnson, a Solar System Ambassador from NASA, will be presenting information about the NASA CLPS program space probes that have landed or will land on the Moon this year.

 

Powerful Innovations

By day teaching hydraulics and electrical skills and by night constructing gadgets ripped right from the pages of science fiction. From armor suits to lightsabers come learn how Troy powers is trying to build the future today.

 

Scientific Illustration & Visualization Program, Iowa State University

Come experience making and visualizing at the intersection of science and art as we do in the Scientific Illustration & Visualization Program at ISU with “Insects Rock!!”, “SCI VIZ Body Art”, and “SCI VIZ Interactive Electronics”.

 

GLiB Games

GLiB Games is a family board game design company in Iowa. They will be teaching and playing a number of tabletop games created by Iowans and tabletop games related to making. Game options are suitable for all ages and experience levels!

 

Scorch Works Homemade Tools and Toys

Ultrasonic levitation demo (shown in picture) and other homemade tools and toys will be on display. I will also be using a homemade injection molding machine to produce small plastic trinkets during the fair.

 

Workshops and exhibitors will be available throughout the day. See the schedule tab to start planning your visit!