With the bait of 3D-printed fishing lures, Bryan Bush of Lewisburg hooked the attention of both festival-goers and design judges alike to earn the “Best in Show” grand prize and $1,000 during the third-annual West Virginia Makes Festival. The lures designed and 3D-printed by the middle school teacher were among dozens of innovative creations on display Oct. 7 during the Robert C. Byrd Institute’s (RCBI) annual celebration of creativity and ingenuity.
Staged this year on the Huntington campus of Marshall University, the festival attracted 3D Printing enthusiasts, live music acts, special technology exhibits, games, interactive attractions, performance artists, students of all ages, makers and entrepreneurs. The focus on STEM skills and artisanal crafts reinforces hands-on opportunities available to everyone, according to Charlotte Weber, RCBI director and CEO.
Other Design Challenge winners were brothers Oakley and Vance Wheeler of Lavalette, who took home the “WV Awesome Award” and a $500 cash prize for their creation that recycles bottle caps by turning them into decorative baskets; Jordan Fannin of Athens, Ohio, for his bio-watt power generator, which captured the “Innovation Award”; Ruston Seaman of Philippi, who won “Most Original Design” for his LED-lit basketball rim; and Walter Bird of Morgantown, who earned “Best Presentation” for his Baseball Training Zone invention.
In a youth-focused series of awards, siblings Mason and Alex Hill of Buffalo, won the “Great Innovator Award” for their Coal Train Music creation; Grace Napier of Barboursville, was named “Great Mind of the Future” for her Not Gross Compost design; and Patricia Robertson of Barboursville was recognized with the “Young Promise Award” for her environmentally safe, outdoor-barbecue utensil, The Grill Cleaner.
This year’s sponsors of RCBI’s festival include the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, Bulldog Creative Services, Dutch Miller Auto Group, Edward Tucker Architects, Epilog Laser, the Huntington Area Development Council (HADCO), Marshall University, and Moses Auto Group.
The West Virginia Makes Festival encourages artists, innovators, engineers, makers and students of all ages to interact and network to inspire creativity. Learn more at www.rcbi.org/online/wvmakes.
