Joe Hudy- A Young Maker Full of Awesomeness

Have you ever read the blog Look What Joey’s Making? Joe Hudy is a young maker who tells his stories and awesome maker projects on his blog. He shot his Marshmallow Cannon with Obama and even created his own kits to get kids excited about making!

Thanks to Joe and his Mom we were able to learn a little bit more about Joe and his story.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi my name is Joe Hudy. I am 16 years old. I go to Arizona State University’s Herberger Young Scholars Academy. I love to build stuff and go to Maker Faires.

How did you first get started with making things? Was there a particular point of inspiration for you?

I don’t really know how I got started ‘making’ things – other than being bored at school. Maker Faire and all the people associated with it are my inspiration.

What are some of your favourite things to make?

My favorite thing to make is probably PCB’s. I love routing PCB’s it’s like the best puzzle ever.

How did you come up with the idea of the Marshmallow Cannon and how did you shoot it together with Obama?

I made a smaller air cannon out of a water bottle and a pencil. You shoot things by squeezing the water bottle. So I decided to make a bigger one. I got to meet President Obama and go to the White House Science Faire because of Make and Cognizant.

In your bio, you mention Asperger is your special power, could you please tell us a bit more about that?

Just because you have Autism doesn’t mean you can’t do whatever you want! My mom’s favorite thing to say is ‘Once you let go and let your child be who he/she is intended to be, that’s when all the magic happens.

In your bio, you also mention you “want to speak to other kids about how they can make and do anything they want too. I also want to talk about the importance of STEM Education in the schools.” How are you doing this and is there a special message you want to share with other kids out there?

I’ve made a few kits to help kids get excited about making. The 3x3x3 LED Cube Arduino Shield and the SMD LED Arduino Shield – better known as Joey #1. They can both be found at www.makershed.com or www.microcenter.com.

STEM education in school is awesome. At my school we get to do a lot of hands on stuff. We even have a 3d printer!

I think what I would say to kids is, ‘Don’t be bored…MAKE something!’ Don’t just think about doing it – do it. My mom keeps telling me there is no such thing as failure while doing a project…you should learn from it. Sometimes that is kinda hard – when you are frustrated. Find a local Hackerspace. That will help you a lot too.

What are your dreams and aspirations for the future?

I really would like to work for Maker Media someday. It would be the best job!

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

The one main thing is GO TO MAKERFAIRE! it has changed my life. Follow my blog too.