Built with no emotions, programmed only to serve and obey, our wonderous robotic creations may some day rise up against us….until their cheap rechargeable batteries run dry!

Until then, consider helping out with Robofest; MACUL’s student friendly version of Battlebots. Student teams from around the state will be converging on Cobo Hall this coming Thursday, March 19th from noon until 5 pm. Sponsored by Lawrence Technical University, Robofest at MACUL is an official qualifying event for the national competition to be held in May. The event is quite fascinating to watch, especially with the knowledge that students have designed, built, and programmed their robots on all their own.

The only problem is, there’s a lack of human volunteers to support and cheer the robotic athletes on, so if you have an hour to spare at the conference, consider helping out! Follow the link below to lend your assistance to our tiny robotic friends and their makers.

Volunteer for Robofest at MACUL!

Image – http://www.battlebots.com/BattleBots.com/Home/Home_files/shapeimage_3.png

Or so I gathered from O Magazine. And if you aren’t into volunteering for the pure Karmic goodness it gives you, then perhaps the free t-shirt and reduced conference cost appeals to your more fiscal sensabilites. Every year, the MACUL Conference is in need of volunteers, lots of them! From AV support to serving as guides to the conference facility, there’s a need to be filled by many talented conference goers. Available in either 1-2 hour shifts, or as a full day stint to receive a reduced conference cost, volunteers serve an invaluable resource at our conference. The people that stamp your SB-CEU sheet as well as hands-on lab support are positions that are only made possible through the efforts of volunteers.

Personally, I always make it a point to stand with the famous green MACUL “Ask Me!” sign for a couple of hours during the conference, just to help newcomers find their way around the facility or to help answer questions about special events. While I’m not in it for the T-shirt, it’s always a nice bonus, and it’s a small way that I feel I can help repay MACUL for all of the amazing support and resources they’ve given me. In fact, I was able to attend the conference several years ago for free as a student at WMU by giving one full day’s worth of volunteer work. Not a bad deal considering the amount of resources, connections, and information to be discovered during just one day of the annual conference. That, and it gives you a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside.

For more information about how you can help by volunteering at MACUL, just follow the link below:

Volunteer at the MACUL 2009 Conference

Image: ‘An elevator button in the New Yorker+hotel.‘ www.flickr.com/photos/44124453791@N01/2829041283

Everyone wants a free t-shirt, right? I mean, they’re comfortable, easy to wash, and help you blend in with the students. Well, sort of…

So I was surprised to learn at yesterday’s MACUL board meeting that we have an over abundance of extra t-shirts. Apparently, we’ve got too many of them, and they’re just sitting around in the MACUL office where Ric Wiltse eyes them, hoping to secretly take home the entire stash of beautiful MACUL tees. As great as Ric looks in a T-shirt (and he does), I was shocked that MACUL members hadn’t already claimed them all, so they could look stylish lounging on the deck this summer, while they proclaimed their love for MACUL.

So I asked the fellow board members, “what does a member have to do in order to receive their own MACUL tee?” The answer? Volunteer for 1 or 2 hours at the conference. That’s it! No tricks, no gimmicks, just volunteer an hour or two of your time to be an “ASK ME!” person, and help conference goers find their way around to the various sessions, exhibit hall, or restrooms. Sounds easy; in fact, so easy that I’m going to be donating an hour or two of my conference time to snag one of those T-shirts. Well, that and I really enjoy helping newcomers to the conference find their way around. It’s a simple job since you’re given a map and can point out the registration booth for really difficult questions like where people go for SB-CEUs. That andyou get a chance to introduce yourself to new MACUL members or run into old friends.

So if you’ve been pining away for one of those luxuriously soft and stylish MACUL t-shirts, visit the 2008 MACUL Volunteer Page, read up on the “ASK ME!” duties, and then click on the link to Volunteer and fill out the simple online form (takes less than 5 minutes). Please, help MACUL get rid of all of these t-shirts so we have room to buy more goodies and freebies for the members!