MAGIC 2022 Year in Review
2022 was a big year with MAGIC! We moved into our new Main Street location, launched the Westminster Autonomous Robotics Innovation Center (ARIC), dove into Duckietown and continued development on the Autonomous Corridor Project, bolstered economic activity in the City of Westminster with 1 Million Cups Westminster, continued our journey into the world of gaming with more complex game development coursework and our regular gaming nights, and more!
Take a look at some of MAGIC’s highlights from 2022.
Gula Tech Foundation “Confidence in Data Care” Grant Award
MAGIC was awarded a $100,000 Confidence in Data Care grant from the Gula Tech Foundation.
Funding was used to launch Senior Online Safety, a workshop series for our aging population. In partnership with Carroll Community College, Carroll Lutheran Village, and the Carroll County Senior Provider Information Network, we spread the word about digital security and steps we can all take to protect ourselves online.
Additionally, we began a small series of Data Care for Small Businesses series lead by Mike Shelah, accomplished cybersecurity IT professional. Sessions were held at MAGIC’s office and explored topics ranging from the basics of cybersecurity to inexpensive ways to secure your data.
ONLINE SAFETY
DATA CARE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
NEW OFFICE SPACE ON MAIN STREET
MAGIC moved into and renovated its new office on Main Street! We held a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 21, MAGIC’s 6th birthday, to show off our new location to our community.
BUSINESS RISKS
MAGIC and Carroll Community College partnered to hold the second annual Business Risks conference at the college, followed by a reception at Old Westminster Winery.
AUTONOMOUS ROBOTICS INNOVATION CENTER (ARIC)
The Westminster Autonomous Robotics Innovation Center (ARIC) has been steadily developed throughout the year. Starting with a single Duckiebot in February, MAGIC and project partners began planning the center in early 2022. Initial funding was received via a Knorr-Bremse Global Care grant in July. Since then, we’ve made great strides in renovations, equipment acquisition, and fundraising. Additional funding has since been received from the Kahlert Foundation, BGE, and TYLin. Community partners and stakeholders have donated more than $250,000 in monetary and in-kind support for the center.
TRUIST GRANT AWARD AND BIG DATA BOOTCAMP
MAGIC was awarded a Truist Foundation Grant to relaunch Big Data Bootcamp!
The goal of MAGIC’s Big Data Bootcamp is to introduce adult students to Python, basic data science, and machine learning techniques that will provide them with a foundational understanding of data science and prepare them for further learning. Our first virtual session took place in fall of 2022 and was taught by Olga Perera, an accomplished data scientist. Our next session is scheduled for early 2023!
GOOD GAME IN 2022
2022 was all about gaming at MAGIC! We began our Friday gaming nights in the summer, welcoming gamers of all ages to join us for free play and snacks on Main Street. We attended Awesome Con to promote the Good Game Festival as well as our game development courses. Development of the Westminster Esports Arena project … And, of course, we held our second annual Good Game Festival at the Best Western for our biggest, most exciting event yet!
GAME DEVELOPMENT
Our Game Development courses were bolstered with our most advanced course yet, Intro to AI Game Development. Returning students learned how to create simple AI within Unity, trigger and script NPC enemy animations.
GOOD GAME ON MAIN
We launched Good Game on Main this past summer! On the last Friday of the month from May through October, gamers of all ages joined us at our office for hours of faming, snacks, and prizes.
GOOD GAME ON THE HILL
Green Terror ESports and MAGIC partnered for a weekend Good Game on the Hill tournament featuring Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Prizes were sponsored by McDaniel College and Green Terror ESports, and students from throughout the state came to compete!
GOOD GAME FEST
Our second annual Good Game Fest was even bigger and better than last year! Between the retro arcade, tabletop and console tournaments, open play, vendors, and panels, there was almost too much to squeeze into just 3 days.
CAPTURE THE FLAG 12 & 13
Our Capture the Flag competitions attracted over 350 students from around the country – and the world! We returned to in-person competitions for our 13th Capture the Flag at Carroll Community College with host locations at Allegany College, University of Maryland Global Campus, and McDonogh School. Students from Wyoming and Tennessee also participated!
AUTONOMOUS CORRIDOR PROJECT
We launched a transportation survey of the City of Westminster, with the help of an intern from McDaniel College, to gauge the status of our current transportation system and the future of autonomous vehicles on our streets.
Executive Director Graham Dodge attended several regional industry conferences to share the Autonomous Corridor Project, including the Transportation Quality Initiative Innovation Conference In Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake chapter of the American Society of Highway Engineers.
In October of 2022, MAGIC presented the Autonomous Corridor project and our Silicon Main Street Initiative at Tech At The Gap.
1 MILLION CUPS WESTMINSTER
It was a busy year for 1 Million Cups Westminster as well! 25 new entrepreneurs joined us to share their visions with our community. It was great to welcome so many new faces, and we’re looking forward to another exciting year! All of our meetings can be viewed over on the 1 Million Cups Westminster YouTube channel, including our special events and community updates.
SPIRE GIRLS
Thanks to a generous sponsorship from Ting Westminster, we were able to launch Spire Girls in October of 2022!
Spire Girls is a leadership program for young women in Carroll County. Through this program, we wish to make students aware of the opportunities available to them, the resources at their disposal, and the supportive community that we have right here.
Our first speaker was Dr. Mona Becker, Mayor of Westminster and longtime science educator. We had a great time talking about women in science throughout history and discussing some of the barriers that women in science face. We’re excited to have more meetings in 2023 exploring a variety of topics including space science, robotics, and general college preparedness.
Thank you to everyone who supported MAGIC in 2022! We’re excited to bring even more events and programs to Westminster in 2023.
