VRT Lab functions as a node-based public IOT garden project that synthesizes community collaboration with accessible educational opportunities that center open-source software + hardware tools.

COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING

A lot of what’s creatively driven me through this project has been my experiences at hacker camps, like PIFcamp and the Digital Naturalism Conference, which focus on developing open-source DIY projects that are influenced by nature. I didn’t study in an institutional engineering program, so going to makerspace workshops + hacker camps have been my main source of learning how to build these really cool interconnected digital systems.

Another reason that I feel confident in building these community based learning network nodes is because of my involvement in designing & building all of the shelters for the Free99Fridge mutual aid food network in Atlanta (as well as the countless other community projects that I’ve managed).

In summary, I’m interested in applying these mutual aid educational tactics from my previous DIY project collaborations to this international approach of a collective, non-committal learning style. My goal is to mentor the organic growth of each VRT lab node and assist with documenting node projects in an open-source format so anyone online can learn how to build or contribute their own VRT lab project.