Normal Park 6th grade students were captivated by Alex Cruikshank as he facilitated a brief demonstration and Q&A session on additive manufacturing through 3D printing on Wednesday. A programmer by trade, Cruikshank has quickly developed a passion and strong knowledge base about 3D printing. In the demonstration, he showed Normal Park students a variety of examples of 3D printed items and explained the entire process from conception and design, to production. This revolutionary manufacturing and prototyping technology has already taken Chattanooga by storm and is now reaching students as young as 10 years old.
The guest speaker was arranged by Normal Park 6th grade Language Arts teacher, Ceren Stone.
In order to differentiate the unit on research strategies, Stone designed research opportunities on a variety of technological advances of the last decade. Several Normal Park 6th graders are researching 3D printing and advances in additive manufacturing in the last ten years. Inspired by a recent visit to GigTank by 3D printing guru, Terry Wohlers, Stone believed that her students needed to be familiar with the emerging technology. However, for the Language Arts teacher at one of the country's premier museum magnet schools, the cool technology was simply a means to an end. "Our students certainly need to develop an understanding for how to use state of the art technology, but the true value of this project is that it gives our students a chance to work within a meaningful context. The cool technology hooks their interest, and we are empowered to help them engage in authentic research."