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As a student innovator and entrepreneur, one of the most difficult things is taking that first initiative to get your idea out into the vast array of resources on campus. Much of what the University Innovation Fellows will be focusing on is the ease of access of these types of resources. However, many technically minded innovators may still feel that the intrinsic motivation that they currently have will not be enough. That is where 10,000 Makes comes in. Fall of 2015 marked the date of the first ever hardware hackathon hosted at the University of Minnesota. There were nine teams utilizing an entire day and a vast array of resources to build a project from the ground up. It went well, and every team had a product to pitch at the end of the day. It was obvious to observers and participants how the event was able to foster the spirit of I&E. Everyone walked away at the end of the day feeling as if they had truly accomplished something, and each individual was more aware than ever of the resources available on campus to turn their ideas into reality.
As a UIF, hosting this event was a huge challenge, but one that was well worth the struggle. In fact, the overall results and feedback were so fantastic that we hosted another one is being organized for next 10,000 Makes event in fall2016, which attracted more teams and participants than the first event. The Our goal is to create an continue expanding the 10000 Makes event that is bigger and betterto eventually extend invitations to schools nationwide. The more students that are exposed to the resources on campus, the more innovative ideas can come to fruition. Next years 10,000 Makes will be a foot-in-the-door for more students to all of the I&E resources that the U provides.
'''Milestones'''
*Follow up with our current corporate sponsors
*Expand upon the venue used this year to include a wider array of the University's resources
*Launch the 2nd 3rd annual 10,000 Makes
*Provide a lasting framework that future leaders can use to continue the event