TechKids Workshop Teaches 3D Printing Skills

The Shemer Art Center, in partnership with Arizona State University and STAX3D Printing, is pleased to be offering the opportunity for students ages 9-13 attending Title 1 schools in the Scottsdale Unified School District to learn about 3D printing. This opportunity, the 2016 TechKids Workshop, is made possible by a grant from the Phoenix Rotary 100.

Participating students in our first session had the opportunity to tour the Shemer Art Center, talk about the process of building a three-dimensional object as they viewed various sculptures on the grounds at the Shemer, then using graph paper, start to outline the various dimensions of the pieces they would create. Positioned at the intersection of the STEAM-based education model, this workshop allows students to learn how to translate isometric drawings into three-dimensional models. Then they learned about and witnessed their model manifest into a 3D printed object. 3D printing is one technique of the several processes known as Additive Manufacturing, a transformational technology that is poised within the next decade to up-end the most common methods of product design, manufacturing and art making. TechKids acts as the beginning of a fruitful and rewarding exploration of cutting-edge technology and innovative thinking.

“In just a short period of time, these students were able to learn about and conceptualize a three-dimensional image, which they then designed using 3D software, “said Andre Noble, a graduate student at Arizona State University who is leading the TechKids Workshop . “Imagine what these students will be able to do in the future just from having the opportunity to learn this technology now.”

PHOTO CAPTION: Thanks to the Phoenix Rotary 100, 10 students in the Scottsdale Unified School District had the opportunity to participate in a TechKids 3D Printing Workshop offered by the Shemer Art Center, in partnership with Arizona State University and STAX3D Printing. From left to right, top row: Ben Corn, Brandon Roat, Asher Curtis, Olivia Gomez. Bottom row: Atticus Roat, Luke Curtis, Libby Robson, Max D’Onofrio, Sophia Herd and Tyler Gomez.