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UA-PTC “Titans” to compete in Make48 maker competition

Three UA – Pulaski Tech “Titans” will challenge area innovators Oct. 7-8 as the Make48 television show launches a semifinal competition at the Innovation Hub in downtown North Little Rock.

Make48 is a 48-hour competition where teams are presented with a challenge and tasked to build a physical prototype, create a sales sheet, produce a 1-minute marketing video, and pitch their big idea to a panel of judges.

The UA - Pulaski Tech Titans represent the comprehensive scope of UA-PTC. The team includes Shaun Everest, customized industrial training expert and industrial engineer at the UA-PTC Business and Industry Center, UA-PTC Chair of Fine Arts and Humanities and veteran three-dimensional artist David Carpenter, and student David Hussey.

With access to expert tool technicians and high-tech equipment, competing teams will have the power to build almost anything. For this challenge, collaboration is the key to success. Many people have big ideas but few possess the resources to develop a prototype that turns them into reality. Teams with different skills, materials and equipment must work together to create a final product.

Make48 allows this process to be achieved with a fun, fast-paced, and educational event. First place team wins $2000 and advances to the nationals in March 2023. While the competition will not have its own dedicated TV show, the action will be filmed for inclusion in highlights to be broadcast as part of the coverage of the national competition. Make48 is broadcast on AETN, the Arkansas public television affiliate.

UA - Pulaski Tech is a co-sponsor of the event, along with more than 30 regional business leaders, educational institutions, and public entities. The host, North Little Rock’s Innovation Hub, was Arkansas’ first makerspace to open its doors to the community. The Hub provides tools and training to Little Rock’s entrepreneurs, students, and creators, preparing them to join and grow Arkansas’ economic ecosystem. Arkansans are generating and inspiring innovation in cutting-edge technology, business, and creative fields.

Assisting the effort behind the scenes are the college Business and Drafting-Design faculty, Mindy Hodges, Lindsay Kullenberg, and Robert Callicott, who have volunteered their time to coach all Make 48 teams on sales pitches and computer-aided design. UA-PTC Culinary faculty, Renee Jeffery-Smith, Jan Lewandowski, Robert Hall, Kenneth Lipsmeyer, Marquis Thompson, Jamie McAfee, and Chocla Lea, volunteered to host the VIP dinner for the donors on Saturday night, where they will showcase our star culinary students as part of the evening’s event.