element14 inspires tech innovation with a taste of Raspberry Pi at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- (Maker Faire) -- element14, the first collaborative engineering community and electronics store for design engineers and technology enthusiasts, partners with Raspberry Pi co-founder Eben Upton and modding guru Ben Heck, to highlight the impact of technology on education, makers and innovation at Maker Faire® Bay Area on May 19 – 20 at the San Mateo County Event Center.  Leading up to and throughout  Maker Faire, makers across the globe are also invited to join the community discussion online at element14 to follow the activities from afar.

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"We're massive fans of Maker Faire; it's great to see something like this that unites hackers, programmers and developers from different backgrounds. This is a place where you can come for a day's fun and find yourself educated and inspired, and meet like minds," said Raspberry Pi co-founder Eben Upton. "It's great for Raspberry Pi to have a chance to partner with our friends at element14 at this year's Maker Faire; we're really looking forward to the discussions and the community's exchange of ideas. This opportunity to meet people from the maker movement, learn about their projects, and share ideas is what pushes us to create and shape new technology and contexts."

To help drive collaboration and technology innovation, Raspberry Pi distributor element14, master modder Ben Heck, and Raspberry Pi co-founder Upton, will lead several activities during Maker Faire:   

• "How a $35 Computer Will Give Students an Appetite for (STEM)" Panel Discussion: Prominent computing minds and educational leaders, including Ben Heck, Eben Upton and Make's Matt Richardson will team up on May 19 at 1 p.m. on the Make Center Stage to discuss the new credit-card sized Raspberry Pi computer and its potential to transform (STEM) – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – in the classroom and foster a new generation of savvy programmers.
• "Raspberry Pi Founder Offers Tips for Programming Super Computer" Demo: Upton will showcase how simple it is to program the affordable computer on May 20 from 11 – 11:20 a.m. on the Make Demo Stage. Attendees to gain valuable insight into the development of the board and its influence on the future of technological innovation.
• "Ben Heck Talks Modding with Makers" Demo: Heck will appear on the Make Demo Stage on May 20 at 5 p.m. to give makers a first-hand look at the art of modding by deconstructing a new version of a 3D printer build featured on element14's "The Ben Heck Show." Audience participation and collaboration ideas are encouraged and attendees and fans can also register at element14 to win one of Ben's builds.  
• Join the Discussion: Enthusiasts and technology advocates worldwide can also follow element14 on Twitter for live updates from Maker Faire.    

"As a committed supporter of the maker movement and the STEM initiative, we're pleased to partner with Ben and Eben to bring their expertise and love of innovation to Maker Faire," said Dianne Kibbey, global head of community, element14. 

More information about element14's activities at Maker Faire is available online at www.element14.com/makerfaire . 

About element14

Launched in June 2009, element14 is the first information portal, collaborative community and electronics store specifically built for electronic design engineers. The community recently unveiled its element14 knode, a unique automated platform that enables engineers to quickly research, design, develop and prototype in a single, intelligent environment. element14 is an innovative offering from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), FTSE 250, a leader in multi-channel electronics distribution trading throughout Europe (Farnell), the Americas (Newark) and Asia Pacific (element14). The company had group sales of 990.8m pounds Sterling and underlying profits of 93.3m pounds last year.

U.S. Media Contacts:
Cheryl Seaberg
Walt & Company
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[email protected]

Janice Fleisher
element14
773.907.5941
[email protected]  

SOURCE element14