Workshop School students, NFTE grad included in White House Maker Faire

A biodiesel car and a tattoo coverup product were the two Philadelphia inventions showcased at the White House Maker Faire this Wednesday.

In celebration of the maker movement, the White House hosted its first Maker Faire, inviting students and entrepreneurs to show off their creations. More than 100 Maker Faires have been independently produced around the country since launching in 2006, and the White House’s endorsement points to how big the movement has become. It’s part of the president’s mission to support Americans who are “makers of things, not just consumers of things,” Obama said in a statement.

Students at West Philadelphia’s Workshop School traveled to Washington, D.C., to show off the car they built, while Erik Spiller, an Elizabethtown College sophomore who graduated from youth entrepreneurship program NFTE Philly, presented his product “Coverups,” a temporary tattoo that covers up real tattoos. The graduate of World Communications Charter School developed Coverups as part of NFTE.

Meanwhile, the president encouraged makers across the country to participate in the Maker Faire on their own turf. Penn launched its new $250,000 3D-printing lab to coincide with the event. The so-called AddLab is at 34th and Walnut.