This new academy includes an Introduction to Design course that teaches the students how to draw in different dimensions and ultimately allows them to bring their ideas to real life. One exciting tool that helps students to do this is a new 3-D printer.
Both Mr. Marcus James, instructor for Introduction to Design, and Aquinas Principal Mr. Chris Barrows have high hopes for the future of this class and plan for the students to integrate technology, such as the new 3-D printer, into their work.
“They will eventually be able to work with the 3-D printer where they can create their objects three-dimensionally and physically see and hold their creations,” said Mr. James.
Mr. Barrows shared the process of how the printer works, saying that, “it can be thought to work like a hot glue gun, but instead of working with glue, it creates objects out of a thin plastic that can be compared to the size of a spider web.”
As exciting as it is to work with such an intricate piece of technology, the 3-D printing process is not instantaneous. It is actually a rather slow process that can take hours upon hours to complete a single piece. Mr. James, while testing the printer, printed a water molecule model which took approximately 17 hours to complete. Despite this slow process, it is amazing to think that you can design just about anything, including sugar-based food, and it can be brought to life. Aquinas is thankful for the $13,000 grant that provided the software, printing materials, and the 3-D printer, itself.
Mr. James teaches “the basic principles of engineering, such as how to go through a design process.” He shared that the main focus for the students is for them to learn how to accurately represent a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface. I sat in on one of the classes to see exactly how this process works and was quite impressed at how quickly the underclassmen picked up the concepts that they were taught. I found myself suddenly wanting to be a part of what the students described as “geometry mixed with an art class.”
The students are quite excited about what they will learn in the weeks to come. It is always nice to hear students actually call a class “fun.” Two students eagerly shared their experience in the class so far and said that they “would recommend the class to anyone.” They expressed that the class can help decide your future goals, such as what you plan to study in college. For example, if someone was interested in studying engineering at a university, they could test out the field by joining the Engineering Academy to determine whether it really is the right plan for them.
The students will follow a four-year course of study that includes a minimum of one engineering course per year. The courses were designed by Project Lead the Way and have become a tremendous asset to the college prep high school.