SUNY NEW PALTZ VISIT
On December 12, I took a trip to upstate New York to learn about the largest 3D printing center in the world. It is located at SUNY New Paltz. I was able to meet with Mr. Aaron Nelson who was incredibly resourceful and able to answer my questions. The two videos below do an accurate job explaining what SUNY's goal is.
New Paltz Website
Here are a few pictures I took of the place!
This is the main space where the printers are working, it was quite hot in this room as they have 30+ printers going sometimes all at once. They are in the process of moving to a room next door that is under renovation...
There were many different models all over the room they were working on, some for fun, some for art projects, and many others for engineering students. Many of the pieces were built and then either glued together or some snap together.
They use different versions of design software depending on what each student wants to use, but Aaron told me his favorite is Rhino 3D.
Overview
While I was visiting, I brought along a few common questions many school districts have. I found that many of the answers aligned closely with ideas we have already had here at Robert Morris University. Even though some of the questions were not fully answered, it is nothing to worry about as we are at the beginning stages of this project. What is important to note, is that SUNY is also taking similar steps in having their students work with hands on learning processes just as we are attempting to implement in the grade schools.
So what is the point of this center?
3D printing technology is something that is not going to go away. We must allow students to have access to it, and realize it is something they can use in every field they are going into. Whether it is engineering, art, business, education etc. The innovation center is there to allow students easy access and experience to working with these tools. Any student can have access to printing whatever they want (within reason) in 3D.
How did you receive the grant for this center?
Historically, the Hudson Valley has always been a source of industry, and there is an organization called Hudson Valley 3D, and they wrote a grant, and got money to purchase many 3D printers, and the innovation center sort of took off from there. He noted that getting the beginning grant was a little difficult, but after that, that money just made more money.
What is the Hudson Valley Manufacturing Center?
The Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center is the "parent" organization of the Innovation Center. Half of the HVAMC is in the lab in Engineering and focuses mainly on external clients, the other half is the Innovation Center which faces the internal campus community. Both will be housed in the new space that is being renovated.
What are the hopeful outcomes of having your students work with 3D printers and hands on material in general?
Aaron shared with me many similar ideas that we are hoping to instill upon students in the grade schools. He said many jobs require such hands on knowledge, no matter what career they are choosing, and he hopes that their center is the first of many to spring up around the area.
How could this be applicable to K-12?
He knows from first hand experience that college students are ecstatic about working with this technology, so he can only dream of how happy younger students are. His innovation team is working closely to further push this technology and new "hands on" approach throughout the school. They have been starting to reach out to elementary and middle schools in the area to find out if they would be interested in tours or talking about grants to get designated spaces for their schools. I told him I would follow up at a later date to see how this is going.
How can teachers successfully integrate this into their curriculum?
SUNY has just made a new certificate program open to ALL students called Fabrication and Design. They are proposing it to be a minor by next semester, once again open to all. Through their proposal, they hope to sit down with department heads of each school and propose they create a new class or some type of training on using this technology. The hope is that most students take advantage of it so they can list their experience when it comes time to applying for jobs. Ambitious entrepreneurs can use it to produce parts for a potential small business they are working on. Art students can use it with projects. Engineers can design and prototype parts at a rapid pace. Education majors can become familiar with it so they can bring that knowledge into schools. At the college level, it is almost easier, as you can directly provide students ways of using it because they have already selected a major.
How did you convince professors/department heads this was the right way to go about teaching?
He wants all professors to attempt lessons using the technology or at least to mention it throughout classes as a resource for them to use on campus. While they are meeting with the department heads he wants each to come up with what their philosophy on education. This sounds like just a "teachery" thing to say, but he really wants professors to analyze lessons and see how they can fit in this new technology and idea of hands on learning. He wants them to really think and come up with their own personal idea of how they want to go about teaching.
The other great idea is the concept of providing a support staff for teachers. He said many teachers have used the new software, but they call him frantically sometimes mid-lesson to get answers to why some things are not working, he said he wants to have tech-savvy students or other people hired and ready to answer questions or set things up for professors.
What were the steps/research that led you to 3D printing and hands on learning, and how are you going to continue to prove it is a viable means of teaching?
We both agreed that there is little research on 3D printers or Makerspaces in general, but that is because it is so new. We know that it is here to stay though. He explained that he is using personal experience right now to drive whether or not things are successful or not. He mentioned that many students use this technology in classrooms and then go out and utilize those same concepts in their field. He wants to create a log of personal reflections/thoughts on the program and if it worked for them or not.
Conclusion
Overall, my visit to SUNY New Paltz was quite eye opening, and all the more reassuring that we are on the right track here with the Ohio River Consortium. I gave Aaron several copies of our goals and information about us, and told him to share it with his education department and maybe they can start something similar. All in all, it was very reaffirming to see that even though we are working to reach a younger age, we are still aligning with the largest innovation center in the world.
I will be back up in that area in March 2016, and Aaron said I was more than welcome to visit again!
-Ryan Gracey
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