Education

Jerry Snee, “Chief Squidgeter,” and Sean Snee, COO and Senior Vice-President for all engineering, are working together with the Squidget team to create a safe and noiseless alternative to the most disruptive and potentially self-harming fidgeting habits. It is a much sought after and preferred choice to other fidgeting toys currently on the market and deemed disruptive by teachers. Inspiration to Invention The Squidget was originally invented by Naomi Cher, Co-Founder of Squidget Company, Inc., to help her best friend. “Her friend experienced ‘deep nail pressure satisfaction’,” explains Jerry, continuing, “this means her method of fidgeting involved pressing her nails into her skin so hard that the skin breaks… which [Read more…]

Scott Hamilton is a professor of archaeology at Lakehead University, a small university in northern Ontario. He also runs a small consulting operation (Hamilton Archaeological Consulting), and has recently incorporated 3D printing into his repertoire. Focusing on Community Although Hamilton works at the university, a large part of his research (both academic and consulting) involves community-based work. “I frequently work with aboriginal communities to identify what their research priorities are and figure out how to address those priorities,” he shares. “A big priority is protecting their land-based interests,” explains Hamilton, “Especially as the Supreme Court of Canada has clarified the operational meaning of aboriginal treaty rights. However, First Nations also [Read more…]

Doug Doescher is the 8th grade Industrial Technology teacher at Fremont Public Schools in Nebraska. He encourages students to use technology to find everyday things needing improvement, and to engineer a solution. 3D Printing is a Hit at Fremont Public Schools In December 2016, Fremont Public Schools purchased six Afinia 3D printers for their school, using funds from a local grant. It didn’t take long before students took notice of the printers’ capabilities, and their popularity spiked. “We constantly have kids coming to our free class periods wanting to design one of their ideas,” says Doescher. Cell phone stands designed by Doescher’s students. “With our system, every 7th and 8th [Read more…]

Chris Schiemann, Library Media Specialist at Patrick Marsh Middle School, assists teachers with integrating technology into the classroom and running the school’s makerspace, the “Imaginarium.” Selecting Technology for the Imaginarium As part of his role at Patrick Marsh Middle School, Schiemann helps select the equipment that students access in the classroom and in the school’s makerspace, the “Imaginarium.” Through research, conferences, and experience, he and another tech-savvy teacher have been adding more technology for students to use. Overall, they’ve selected two small Silhouette Portrait printers, copper paper circuits, five Makey Makey projects, a 3D doodler pen, Legos, Play Dough, Snap Circuits, Littlebits circuits, a green screen and numerous apps for [Read more…]

Vic Worthington is the Tech Lab Instructor at Rochelle Middle School in Rochelle, Illinois. Several of his students are currently designing a prosthesis for a local farmer who lost his arm. The experience that students receive in the classroom affects them deeply: it helps them determine their interests and strengths, provides them with invaluable knowledge across many subjects, and molds their future. By introducing 3D printing into the curricula, teachers are able to offer a more varied and unique classroom experience. One such unique experience is currently unfolding in Vic Worthington’s classroom at Rochelle Middle School. Worthington introduced the Afinia H800 into his classroom about a year ago. “Everyone is [Read more…]

Lisa Cacciatore is the technology integration specialist at Castleton-Hubbardton Union School District. She collaborates with faculty and staff from K-8th grade to brainstorm how to integrate technology into their curriculum, while bringing creativity and enthusiasm to every facet of the job. The Entry to 3D Printing “Our district has had the Afinia 3D printer for about 2 years. It’s been our tried-and-true 3D printer,” explains Cacciatore. One of the many reasons she praises the Afinia 3D printer is “it always stays calibrated, even though it travels from school to school!” The Afinia 3D printer has also been easy for Cacciatore to use, even without previous 3D printing experience. “After taking [Read more…]

Ethan Ouimet is the MakerLab Coordinator at Portland Community College MakerLab. He lives half time in Portland and half time in Eugene, where he also works at the University of Oregon MakerSpace and is finishing his degree in product design. Entry into 3D Printing Ouimet started 3D printing while pursuing a degree in product design at the University of Oregon. “Product design is akin to industrial design, but more focused on user experience and how humans interact with products. It requires a fair amount of prototyping, and we often turn to 3D printing to prototype our CAD models,” says Ouimet. “Thanks to my major, I also have a love of [Read more…]

Nicholas Bira is a junior Bioengineering student at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Bira headed the “Print Anything at Mizzou” initiative that provides students, faculty and staff with access to affordable 3D printing. For the Love of Making When passion and initiative align, good things happen. Just ask Nicholas Bira, a junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who recently headed the creation of “Print Anything at Mizzou.” The program is funded by the IIF (Interdisciplinary Innovations Fund) and brings Mizzou students affordable access to 3D printing. “When I was a freshman at Mizzou, I had heard of 3D printing and thought it was cool, but had never encountered it,” explains Bira. [Read more…]

Jared Kaplan is the technology teacher for grades 5-12 at Fishers Island School District. Kaplan incorporates 3D printing into each grade’s technology class using the Afinia 3D printer. Jared Kaplan is the technology teacher for grades 5-12 at Fishers Island School District in New York. About 6 months ago, Kaplan applied for a school grant to purchase the 3D printer, and was told he could purchase one for his classroom. Kaplan explains, “I put a lot of time and research into which 3D printer would best fit the needs of our classroom. I went to a conference where iDesign was demoing the Afinia H-Series printer, which is where I first [Read more…]