tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69781601949389294092024-03-19T07:52:27.182-04:003D ThinkLink ThoughtsA blog about what we're learning as we introduce at-risk kids to 3D printingThe YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-20105741602725159362017-09-08T13:31:00.000-04:002017-09-08T13:31:08.140-04:00Post-Processing Tips for 3D Printing Trophies: Part 2<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whether they’re <a href="http://www.3ders.org/articles/20170226-this-years-oscar-statuettes-3d-printed-in-upstate-new-york.html" target="_blank">Oscar statuettes</a>, youth sports participation awards or anything in between, we tend
to think of trophies as shiny metallic objects. But there’s no rule that says
they have to be gleaming silver or gold, especially if you’re making them with
a 3D printer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In <a href="http://3dthinklinkblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/post-processing-tips-for-3d-printing.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> of this post, we
shared methods for giving 3D-printed trophies a finish that looks like chrome
plating. Now, let’s explore a different approach to post-processing for plastic
pieces made with FDM (fused deposition modeling) printers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After successfully completing
our Cisco trophy, we decided to create small trophies for each member of the
winning team at our annual fundraising golf tournament. Our Director of
Instruction, Tom Meeks, came up with as design featuring a golf ball atop a
cylindrical base. And instead of the standard metal-plated finish, Tom wanted
the ball to be white – like a real golf ball – and the base to look like
wood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlzHhGoTdYvMRY3xfQoIVV1qExRwlpBY8IV1KSKg_UQemNd8MdEomwPAhuaai1zP7gF4_kBcEbL8ch-3Um71Xn7uylB3vyMd8Sq6ZlA0zry6hF_XfHRUwC63clN5HSI_gZuxhZrC2wQ8/s1600/trophies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlzHhGoTdYvMRY3xfQoIVV1qExRwlpBY8IV1KSKg_UQemNd8MdEomwPAhuaai1zP7gF4_kBcEbL8ch-3Um71Xn7uylB3vyMd8Sq6ZlA0zry6hF_XfHRUwC63clN5HSI_gZuxhZrC2wQ8/s400/trophies.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Finished trophies for YouthQuest's golf tournament</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">We had initially ruled out
using FDM machines for the project because, even when they’re set for the
finest detail, the printing process always leaves visible striations as layers
of melted filament are stacked up. We wanted to create plastic parts with
</span><a href="https://3dprinting.com/filament/finishing-3d-printed-parts/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;" target="_blank">smooth surfaces</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> – and do it with a minimum amount of effort.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One popular method is sanding
the piece and brushing on an epoxy product such as <a href="https://www.smooth-on.com/product-line/xtc-3d/" target="_blank">XTC-3D</a> or, for plastics like
ABS, Acetone. But that can be time-consuming, mixing the epoxy can be messy and
Acetone is potentially dangerous to you and your print if you’re not careful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tom’s search for a better
solution led him to discover <a href="http://www.polymaker.com/" target="_blank">Polymaker</a>. The company makes a PVB filament called
PolySmooth, which prints like PLA, but can be smoothed with ethanol or
isopropyl alcohol. Post-processing is done by putting prints in the Polysher, a
device that generates an alcohol mist inside a see-through tank. Print layer
lines virtually disappear, leaving a surface that looks polished – exactly what
we wanted for our “golf ball.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3_EosUwXZwPJzUQC6Hmhzs99VCWUwnlObyOmC75a9HU2gkjO0imT-s_S8hzAHVvdxvFkv-XIpVQ428EWs7wTke5VYI14ttlaOaRJF7v-tcaOMGUEPcmUi4cuIR_1NaeitseAU7YnH78/s1600/golfballsmoothed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3_EosUwXZwPJzUQC6Hmhzs99VCWUwnlObyOmC75a9HU2gkjO0imT-s_S8hzAHVvdxvFkv-XIpVQ428EWs7wTke5VYI14ttlaOaRJF7v-tcaOMGUEPcmUi4cuIR_1NaeitseAU7YnH78/s400/golfballsmoothed.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ball after smoothing in Polysher</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">To print the base, we
could have used any number of filaments made with a mixture of wood and thermoplastic,
but they tend to cause extruder clogs. Instead we went with Polymaker’s
</span><a href="http://www.polymaker.com/shop/polywood/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;" target="_blank">PolyWood</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">, which doesn’t contain any wood particles but looks and feels much
like genuine wood, and can be textured and stained just like the real thing.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT88jOPeWKuE17GLYmNsDCBHDubgIVx9PFmoJgLebwh_w1R9U2QmK-2vEQEn_pa06vQgzqX7OubOcnDbQtjEkkV-OS5GN4i0y9nXRdzfUzIfjMpj517b2n3xavLGEUw7T00XZJuq1HwMQ/s1600/trophybase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT88jOPeWKuE17GLYmNsDCBHDubgIVx9PFmoJgLebwh_w1R9U2QmK-2vEQEn_pa06vQgzqX7OubOcnDbQtjEkkV-OS5GN4i0y9nXRdzfUzIfjMpj517b2n3xavLGEUw7T00XZJuq1HwMQ/s400/trophybase.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Trophy base made of PolyWood before staining</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Having filament that’s
affected by alcohol also opens up some interesting possibilities for </span><a href="http://idearoom3d.blogspot.com/2016/08/series-colorizing-3d-prints.html" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;" target="_blank">adding colors to 3D printed pieces</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> in post-processing. Tom had been experimenting with
the </span><a href="http://www.craftwellusa.com/content/ebrush" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;" target="_blank">Craftwell eBrush</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">, an electric airbrushing system that uses alcohol-based color
makers, before he learned about PolySmooth filament. He’s planning to have our
</span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/3d-thinklink-students-eager-to-share-what-theyve-learned/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;" target="_blank">advanced <i>3D ThinkLink</i> students</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> try
using the eBrush on PolySmooth parts to see what kind of results they can
produce during our next Immersion Lab Week.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-12432357316309254052017-08-31T16:15:00.000-04:002017-09-08T13:04:23.174-04:00Post-Processing Tips for 3D Printing Trophies: Part 1<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Taking on new kinds of 3D
printing projects always leads us to explore new skills and techniques. In this
series of posts, we’ll share what we learned about some cool post-processing
methods as we made 3D-printed trophies for the first time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Early this year, Cisco
asked us to create a 3D-printed trophy for <a href="http://www.uscyberpatriot.org/" target="_blank">CyberPatriot IX</a>, a nationwide computer
network security skills competition for high school and middle school students
created by the Air Force Association. Cisco is one of the sponsors and it hosts
the Cisco Networking Challenge during the CyberPatriot National Finals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“We like to encourage our <i><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/" target="_blank">3D ThinkLink</a></i> students to find useful things
they can do with a 3D printer and this trophy sounded like a great useful thing
to do,” said Tom Meeks, our Director of Instruction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We experimented with
designs for the trophy and settled on one modeled after a Cisco router. After
making prototypes with our Z450 powder bed printer, the next challenge was to
give it a shiny, metallic finish so it would look like a trophy instead of a
piece of electronic equipment.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuwEgy-CP8K3cIfVTVpMOvs154DDak58pxR3QVW13Q8ad-qcrGd9w2f7wNANgyLsvl1Hi2AGGdVWGEo8Goyo45nxec6md3yvubnoJQ2gC3zBODlm93t7P4wMzC56w5eER7JQdid5VoSQ/s1600/CiscoRouter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1023" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuwEgy-CP8K3cIfVTVpMOvs154DDak58pxR3QVW13Q8ad-qcrGd9w2f7wNANgyLsvl1Hi2AGGdVWGEo8Goyo45nxec6md3yvubnoJQ2gC3zBODlm93t7P4wMzC56w5eER7JQdid5VoSQ/s400/CiscoRouter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cisco router used as model for trophy design</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">The Z450 creates 3D
objects by spreading layer after layer of starch-based liquid binder on a bed
of gypsum powder. After drying, the parts are coated with a super-glue-like
infiltrant or thin liquid epoxy. This strengthens the piece, but the surface
still feels rough, like unpolished stone instead of smooth metal.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArf5WuYiatGdNkAwSZfdbDMHF5TIsKVCfE0wzFtbuZgiK-uQoUX3LzeiJyl4C1v6winjLi_WZfRyS6Qk8R0-wbaCPng8NGSNTqauIOf3EhUk2MM01h1j8tolTYbfg-pVvyVRZvQUuM3s/s1600/BeforeAfterBasecoat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1429" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArf5WuYiatGdNkAwSZfdbDMHF5TIsKVCfE0wzFtbuZgiK-uQoUX3LzeiJyl4C1v6winjLi_WZfRyS6Qk8R0-wbaCPng8NGSNTqauIOf3EhUk2MM01h1j8tolTYbfg-pVvyVRZvQUuM3s/s400/BeforeAfterBasecoat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Trophy prototype before and after basecoat application</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Working with Bill Leckliter
at <a href="https://www.chromefinishesinc.com/" target="_blank">Chrome Finishes, Inc.</a> in Frederick, Maryland, we learned now to transform
our powder-and-glue box into a trophy that appears to be chrome plated using the
<a href="http://cosmichrome.com/" target="_blank">Cosmichrome</a> process. First, Bill sprayed it with glossy basecoat primer to make
the surface smoother. Then he sprayed on the Cosmichrome plating chemicals,
which react with the basecoat to produce a metal reflective finish.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJlESwvq92_NZ3znJ3dIn1qmW4lChzNTU_YL98LpYunZaiwgNiAzJDF7DIqIrjhGfSl36EhuxEyIcfnHZGf3qQD-eyFek6bsaJmF_5h1SbQv99sSPdxGHln6uCnCClpvmvUTe5zAuP-g/s1600/chrometest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="980" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJlESwvq92_NZ3znJ3dIn1qmW4lChzNTU_YL98LpYunZaiwgNiAzJDF7DIqIrjhGfSl36EhuxEyIcfnHZGf3qQD-eyFek6bsaJmF_5h1SbQv99sSPdxGHln6uCnCClpvmvUTe5zAuP-g/s400/chrometest.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Test object with Cosmichrome coating</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">“It turned out
beautifully,” said Tom, who mounted the chromed trophy to a black wooden plaque
and attached a brushed metal plate to the base for the winners to sign.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1KJOCV9IHmVwqw5RPNysKAS11g7RJH3OJk42nFRupPM423ifb5q2_zTubRVSpKW5NitoFJ7u8ZcArLwerelJ2BGGP_Q2O9kN7fVDwFHuoFedq52kT21uyq-iT5slNhT6xfsqbclpSbY/s1600/Trophy+winners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1KJOCV9IHmVwqw5RPNysKAS11g7RJH3OJk42nFRupPM423ifb5q2_zTubRVSpKW5NitoFJ7u8ZcArLwerelJ2BGGP_Q2O9kN7fVDwFHuoFedq52kT21uyq-iT5slNhT6xfsqbclpSbY/s400/Trophy+winners.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Team Togo members with trophy</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">The one-of-a-kind trophy
was presented to Cisco Networking Challenge winners Aled Cuda, Kyle Gusdorf, Jonathan
Liu, Jaren Mendelsohn and Nikola Pratte – Team Togo from North Hollywood High
School in Los Angeles – at the Cyberpatriot IX National Finals in Baltimore in
April. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0XEzS2XCx0ueBZeQDygYcdTjFJqlpFmp4q4HuhyphenhyphenO4HQHTrcCMs0QQ3-AWa2pYBeNXn5rU0OjUdTrLtUDy8fexaE_nxKBWSX9h6iqFVAQgsAirhK_agGWjLfllfwbmQ-z6Glcn9j3NF8/s1600/Trophy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1510" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0XEzS2XCx0ueBZeQDygYcdTjFJqlpFmp4q4HuhyphenhyphenO4HQHTrcCMs0QQ3-AWa2pYBeNXn5rU0OjUdTrLtUDy8fexaE_nxKBWSX9h6iqFVAQgsAirhK_agGWjLfllfwbmQ-z6Glcn9j3NF8/s400/Trophy.jpg" width="377" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">In researching options for
this project, Tom also learned that you can get similar results with a do-it-yourself
electroplating kit. The key is to coat your 3D-printed object with a thin layer
of graphite paint so it will conduct electricity when it’s in the electroplating
bath.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Encouraged by success of
our Cisco project, we went on to create trophies for our foundation’s annual
fundraising <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/swingin-in-the-rain-at-the-youthquest-golf-tournament/" target="_blank">golf tournament</a>. But instead of using the powder printer, which few
3D printing facilities have, we made them with common FDM (fused deposition
modeling) printers using some new kinds of plastic filament. In our next post,
we’ll explain the post-processing techniques we used to do that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-14139814984588158762017-03-22T14:30:00.000-04:002017-03-22T14:30:57.064-04:003D ThinkLink Intiative Recognized for Public Service<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJveh5ksIcUrW0N-Zqf4leH1QxIuVFsPgDuUaoce5499tO5Q-24bQ40XkMVm5fujzhA662tgWYvWYYCJ15NMo0zo5RA5SZDtN_8URj7wsbpe0TkIr7Wh91RbrQU77Wmlkm6z899V14R_U/s1600/Innovation+Awards+Nominee+Badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJveh5ksIcUrW0N-Zqf4leH1QxIuVFsPgDuUaoce5499tO5Q-24bQ40XkMVm5fujzhA662tgWYvWYYCJ15NMo0zo5RA5SZDtN_8URj7wsbpe0TkIr7Wh91RbrQU77Wmlkm6z899V14R_U/s320/Innovation+Awards+Nominee+Badge.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are honored to be among
the nominees for Public Service Innovator of the Year in the Greater Washington
Innovation Awards. It’s exciting to have such an opportunity to tell regional leaders
about the success of our<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/" target="_blank"><i><span style="background: white; color: #e84747; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3D ThinkLink Initiative</span></i></a><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In a Q&A
with the <a href="http://www.novachamber.org/blog/greater-washington-innovation-awards-nominee-qa5073824" target="_blank">Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce blog</a>, YouthQuest Co-Founder and
President Lynda Mann explained:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>“Our
innovation is not that we introduce kids to 3D design and printing, it’s how we
use this technology as a vehicle to teach the important life skills at-risk
youth lack, such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and the
confidence to fail. 3D printing is perfectly suited for showing kids who’ve
failed in school that mistakes are part of the learning process – they are the
beginning of something good, not the end of something bad.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another
innovative element of the project is that our methodology for teaching the CAD (computer-aided
design) program Moment of Inspiration is based on the way we learn languages.
We present 3D design concepts as nouns (2D shapes) and verbs (actions applied
to shapes that make them 3D).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In addition,
the <i>3D ThinkLink Initiative</i> is
innovative because, instead of serving the high-achieving “Science Club” kids
who would likely have access to 3D printing anyway, we target at-risk kids to
get them re-engaged with education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Asked what
innovation means to her, Lynda told the NOVA Chamber blog:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>“The
YouthQuest Foundation team believes innovation is the enlightened consequence of
a creative, synergistic process that leads to thinking in new ways about
solving problems … We wanted to create a truly innovative approach that would
lead to solutions that make life better for these young people, and improve
organizations and entire communities where they can grow, learn and work.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our
presentation to the judges at the Innovation Awards Showcase on March 3
included this video of students talking about how the <i>3D ThinkLink</i> experience
affected them.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4WgoRp6hiZU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4WgoRp6hiZU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A week before
the Innovation Awards Showcase, we had another great opportunity to raise our
profile among Northern Virginia leaders. We were featured at a Corporate
Information Event in McLean, along with our partners from the PHILLIPS Programs
for Children and Families. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTijgJ4m2hG78gq5qhSbJvMJb7BmIZuh3qy2rK08IMY9i3-VCCpumBhfwAVkPfdpoIyiK7t03N8QmpdydtdxrHwYNKHMISgVNOi69JGhUEVZ236e2fpRqjeIsl29-fguPf7e8Sf0YKp8/s1600/TysonsEventTable.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTijgJ4m2hG78gq5qhSbJvMJb7BmIZuh3qy2rK08IMY9i3-VCCpumBhfwAVkPfdpoIyiK7t03N8QmpdydtdxrHwYNKHMISgVNOi69JGhUEVZ236e2fpRqjeIsl29-fguPf7e8Sf0YKp8/s400/TysonsEventTable.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks and Operations Manager Juan Louro speak with guests at Corporate Information Night on February 21 in McLean, Virginia.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The winners of the Greater
Washington Innovation Awards will be announced April 27 at the Hamilton Live in
DC. <a href="http://www.cvent.com/events/greater-washington-innovation-awards-/event-summary-ea29c83cfb3341859f6bd2656ac131c1.aspx">Click
here</a> for details and ticket information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-46232892648104149042017-03-07T09:57:00.001-05:002017-03-07T12:13:44.131-05:00VIDEOS: Why We've Added the M3D Micro to Our 3D Printing Toolbox<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">With our <i><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/" target="_blank">3D ThinkLink Initiative</a></i> now in its fourth year, and 3D design and printing technology evolving faster than ever, we're always on the lookout for new tools that are well-suited to our work with at-risk youth. We've been testing the <a href="https://printm3d.com/themicro/" target="_blank">Micro 3D printer</a> made by M3D and are quite pleased with the results. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our Director of Instruction, Tom Meeks, is so impressed that he's making a series of video tutorials about the M3D Micro. The key to the successful use of any 3D printer is to understand how it works and what the operator can do to ensure the best performance and reliability. That is what our M3D video series will try to address.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The videos are primarily for our teachers and students in the programs we serve, such as National Guard Youth Challe<i>NG</i>e, the PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families and AMIkids -- but we're happy to share them with all 3D printing enthusiasts. Here are the first two:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HaqZBrWlRVc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HaqZBrWlRVc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PQ4-zdw8GRs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PQ4-zdw8GRs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Micro is a valuable addition to our 3D ThinkLink toolbox for many reasons. First of all, it makes high-quality prints. It's easy to use, reliable, compact and quiet. It can handle more types of material than the 3D Systems Cube printers we use at most of our class sites, including flexible and thermochromic filaments. And, yes, it's quite affordable for such a versatile machine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Each 3D printer in our toolbox is chosen to fill a unique role. While the M3D is a bit slow to be used in the classroom when compared to our Cube 2 and Cube 3 machines, it is the perfect "personal printer" to be used by teachers and our Youth Mentor students outside the classroom. It extends our educational work beyond the classroom and into the community.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Better Tools, Better Teaching</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Although we haven't deployed Micros at program class sites yet, we have purchased several for our <i>3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab</i>, where we've introduced our teachers to them. Our expectation is that teachers will enjoy using the Micro so much that they'll greatly increase their own 3D design and printing skills, then use that knowledge to better tailor our </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>3D ThinkLink </i>curriculum to their students' particular needs.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypz8t5gSfzNwjMyFP60zNqEabO_FFLdgiq7xShra_MZ5ZTLfneVjudK4eYAh-e4WKju2psFooHxl6Rq8ma0lra_0LMEO-I4MzWPufRm3haorhWobJtbWPogmmctN-8smJ05JarpU5I00/s1600/TomRikieshaJim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypz8t5gSfzNwjMyFP60zNqEabO_FFLdgiq7xShra_MZ5ZTLfneVjudK4eYAh-e4WKju2psFooHxl6Rq8ma0lra_0LMEO-I4MzWPufRm3haorhWobJtbWPogmmctN-8smJ05JarpU5I00/s400/TomRikieshaJim.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Tom Meeks demonstrates the M3D Micro during 3D ThinkLink teacher training</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Micro is also part of the <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/3d-thinklink-youth-mentor-program/" target="_blank">Tech Pack</a> we give our top students when they complete training to be Youth Mentors. Their mission is to use the printers in sharing their 3D skills with people in their communities, acting as role models to promote positive change.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_cOVrQYM11hR5JajeqOue1bmqs_oArDIDDIv1bCGCxHsXJ__sWfnrowDicnpzZUGeRtIKqE8KPNNxfrlSOtV8tUBCVth-lBt3dnVgkDKsr28ov2FxujIcjk6FfICYCQvNUegQ8bkUB8/s1600/AunyaLooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_cOVrQYM11hR5JajeqOue1bmqs_oArDIDDIv1bCGCxHsXJ__sWfnrowDicnpzZUGeRtIKqE8KPNNxfrlSOtV8tUBCVth-lBt3dnVgkDKsr28ov2FxujIcjk6FfICYCQvNUegQ8bkUB8/s400/AunyaLooks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Freestate ChalleNGe Academy grad Aunya' Jones, our first Youth Mentor, <br />works with her M3D Micro printer</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As Tom noted in his </span><a href="http://idearoom3d.blogspot.com/2017/01/looking-forware-to-great-m3d-pro-year.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;" target="_blank">Idearoom3D blog</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, we're eagerly awaiting the release of the bigger, faster </span><a href="http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160621-m3d-targets-advanced-users-with-low-cost-m3d-pro-3d-printer-just-unveiled-at-ce-week-2016.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;" target="_blank">M3D Pro</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, which won't have to be connected to a laptop while printing. Meanwhile, keep an eye on </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/YouthQuestFoundation" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;" target="_blank">our YouTube channel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> for more tips about using the M3D Micro.</span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-21689695448537577852016-11-25T15:10:00.000-05:002016-12-01T16:53:11.039-05:00Yes, That Is a Jerky Maker in Our 3D Printing Lab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQG9Lolj5CpkeQM_BpHxSfdblQcsq__CIzuSdjILw2yTY4i28AuMVD9D-NDBo7kOyUq7aoG7PqVUyGGWhnmBKEMl2UeAyIPoDECO1fILWIC2kZukrk66Q3S9x01qn8PWjbNaFzbOHdAes/s1600/bucketjerkyprinter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQG9Lolj5CpkeQM_BpHxSfdblQcsq__CIzuSdjILw2yTY4i28AuMVD9D-NDBo7kOyUq7aoG7PqVUyGGWhnmBKEMl2UeAyIPoDECO1fILWIC2kZukrk66Q3S9x01qn8PWjbNaFzbOHdAes/s400/bucketjerkyprinter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And, no, we’re not using it to turn our Thanksgiving leftovers into turkey jerky. The food dehyrdrator is part of our low-tech solution to a common 3D printing problem – brittle filament.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you’ve been working with FDM (fused deposition modeling) printers, you’ve probably discovered to your dismay that filament absorbs moisture from the air. If you leave it exposed for too long, the plastic breaks easily – leading to print failures, rough surfaces and even clogged print heads. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It seems counterintuitive that water can make a material less flexible; especially plastic, which we think of as being moisture-resistant. But most <a href="http://3dprintingfromscratch.com/common/3d-printer-filament-types-overview/" target="_blank">3D printing filaments</a> are made with some type of polymer. Water molecules break polymer chains, weakening the material’s structure. MatterHackers.com has a good explanation of the science behind this process, called <a href="https://www.matterhackers.com/news/filament-and-water" target="_blank">hydrolysis</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The type of filament we use most at our <i>3D ThinkLink</i> class sites and in our lab is PLA (Polylactic Acid) a biodegradable polymer made from plants such as corn. It’s safer than another commonly used type of filament, ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), because it doesn’t emit potentially dangerous fumes when it melts in the 3D printer’s hot end. PLA absorbs water faster than ABS. Moisture is an even bigger problem with two other kinds of filament we sometimes use – nylon and 3D Systems’ Infinity water-soluble support material.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tiny pockets of water will turn to steam when the filament is extruded through the printer’s hot end, leaving pits in what should be smooth surfaces of printed objects. Moisture can also make filament swell up, causing a clog that could ruin your machine’s print head. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We’ve learned through trial and error that it’s not enough to store filament in an airtight container, although that’s also part of the solution. When you encounter a moisture-related problem, you have to actively dry the filament. That’s where our jerky maker comes in.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3D printing enthusiasts have devised all sorts of <a href="http://3dprintingforbeginners.com/how-to-store-3d-printing-filament/" target="_blank">methods for drying filament</a>. We’ve found that using a home food dehydrator is a safe, simple, affordable way to make troublesome filament usable again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We use a <a href="http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehydrators/Dehydrators/FD-61-Snackmaster-Encore-Food-Dehydrator/" target="_blank">Nesco FD-61</a>, which is widely available for well under $100 online and at most big-box stores, but any similar machine will do. Make sure it’s large enough to accommodate the filament spools you use. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilX6mo5zBLtQWwYhzAi7I-5ZDly4xCuwnW1s8tDrGci7jlqK1MaaoS7_6BdAhzQtCxexms-Hhu9oAgd28N5Nz20KLuBB1xd9s4TI49y35beTZ69VRboJCP_J_hoSXpMOSw13bFz4TNO-0/s1600/trays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilX6mo5zBLtQWwYhzAi7I-5ZDly4xCuwnW1s8tDrGci7jlqK1MaaoS7_6BdAhzQtCxexms-Hhu9oAgd28N5Nz20KLuBB1xd9s4TI49y35beTZ69VRboJCP_J_hoSXpMOSw13bFz4TNO-0/s400/trays.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Screen removed from tray to make spacer</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We had to cut away the screen portion of a few trays to create spaces between levels deep enough for large spools like this one.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xsPdjcCcdZsuGXJQEH0v2Ah7GPHAvxZDkye2q7uVsFcntdZmY1mzZ6ioybR1K5rnkQEm4j1dSnxuvpefnSUreGTZ8iFoTb_-mE4pM4YhL2Ho1upZ3goh1DP7TVV3btwGIqTdBHZqXjI/s1600/spoolindryer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xsPdjcCcdZsuGXJQEH0v2Ah7GPHAvxZDkye2q7uVsFcntdZmY1mzZ6ioybR1K5rnkQEm4j1dSnxuvpefnSUreGTZ8iFoTb_-mE4pM4YhL2Ho1upZ3goh1DP7TVV3btwGIqTdBHZqXjI/s400/spoolindryer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Filament spool ready for drying</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dry the filament at a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 6 hours, then run a test print to make sure you’re satisfied with the quality. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can do the same thing if you have a convection oven, which constantly circulates hot air just like the dehydrator. But you have to keep a close watch on the temperature to make sure you don’t melt the plastic. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FPRbp-jwI7JjEPNj7tSxDZAOAabNZz6glX7z6lAlxx4K54jvYfxs2FoIhLicbytN8VWKbKzBP-y75BeCI6SWBtn8-RdjrEZnXPCDPR1dnWq4TC-HVUwvvmeSklA7O0al3dVr6q_wTmg/s1600/cartridgeopened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FPRbp-jwI7JjEPNj7tSxDZAOAabNZz6glX7z6lAlxx4K54jvYfxs2FoIhLicbytN8VWKbKzBP-y75BeCI6SWBtn8-RdjrEZnXPCDPR1dnWq4TC-HVUwvvmeSklA7O0al3dVr6q_wTmg/s400/cartridgeopened.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Cube 2 filament cartridge opened</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you use filament cartridges such as the ones for the Cube 2 printer, it's best to remove the spool for drying to avoid possible heat damage to the plastic case. Carefully press each tab around the edge of the cartridge and pull apart the two halves of the shell, then take out the cardboard spool and put it in the dehydrator. After drying, reassemble the cartridge, making sure the tiny verification chip in the base of the case remains in place and the filament is threaded correctly through the guides behind the exit hole so that it moves freely. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbR42ujQbOYfW-R1Rm_s7w8v8XL3sfUC5LqdEOm_V5JrJuy_F0h_gNP0dRJywIfWmrMSvhegCnVoiLNHA3pbtt3ijfnntIPGb4-lo1hReOrt-QuYRnILh-I_jcetwa8xEeptLFLDzZUA/s1600/ChipandGuides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbR42ujQbOYfW-R1Rm_s7w8v8XL3sfUC5LqdEOm_V5JrJuy_F0h_gNP0dRJywIfWmrMSvhegCnVoiLNHA3pbtt3ijfnntIPGb4-lo1hReOrt-QuYRnILh-I_jcetwa8xEeptLFLDzZUA/s400/ChipandGuides.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once you’ve removed all that annoying moisture, make sure your filament stays dry by storing it in an airtight container with a desiccant pack. Again, you’ll find many creative filament storage inventions online. We have dozens of cartridges and spools in the <i>3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab</i>, so we like to use five-gallon plastic buckets with 12-inch screw-top lids. You can find them in the paint section of any major home improvement supply store. They stack easily and have plenty of room for filament cartridges and desiccant.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zm86XWNsn_F_NzfMVWtLCWMiqLgnLZUOBUKkI9B1qjtnH2ZkKHpc0cp7JBLiPE8xk2XCV9Gb9ovm03sIDOzn4cCFUMW_lRjCOqSCVfKHNePhC4Xpi1iSpsb0IRFedvCCr69tLCWW7r0/s1600/bucketsplit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zm86XWNsn_F_NzfMVWtLCWMiqLgnLZUOBUKkI9B1qjtnH2ZkKHpc0cp7JBLiPE8xk2XCV9Gb9ovm03sIDOzn4cCFUMW_lRjCOqSCVfKHNePhC4Xpi1iSpsb0IRFedvCCr69tLCWW7r0/s400/bucketsplit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Storage bucket with screw-top lid and rechargeable desiccant block</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now that our filament is dry and safe in the sealed buckets, maybe we will use the dehydrator to make some jerky after all. Anyone have a good recipe?</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-9832755609588104512016-11-07T12:22:00.001-05:002016-11-07T12:22:05.366-05:003D ThinkLink Helps At-Risk Youth Redefine Failure<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Failure is not final. </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We never fail to emphasize that message in our <i><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/" target="_blank">3D ThinkLink</a></i> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">classes. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTSWcSRw-NXBuj5IYrito4Pt-B9MxvU1F7NlNeHI6qAhXczpMb1d44LGTbPWy9JG7nlrmonpa97WfHSaPM5TrZPd_NfW16HVmR2h_2Mn8nMgY_OMJl0kw9QunWj7-TX6hI00SVMKihMM/s1600/YodaPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTSWcSRw-NXBuj5IYrito4Pt-B9MxvU1F7NlNeHI6qAhXczpMb1d44LGTbPWy9JG7nlrmonpa97WfHSaPM5TrZPd_NfW16HVmR2h_2Mn8nMgY_OMJl0kw9QunWj7-TX6hI00SVMKihMM/s320/YodaPoster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A favorite motivational poster in our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">features a picture of Yoda with this quote: “You want to know the difference between a master and a beginner? The master has failed more times than the beginner has ever tried.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, that’s not a line from a Star Wars movie, even though it sure sounds like something Yoda might say. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But what about “<a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/space-flight/apollo-13-we-have-a-solution-part-2/3" target="_blank">Failure is not an option</a>”? Apollo 13 Flight Director Gene Kranz never said that, either. A screenwriter for the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112384/" target="_blank">Ron Howard movie</a> came up with the line, but Kranz thought it captured the spirit of NASA’s Mission Control Center so well that he used it as the title of his autobiography. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What Kranz did tell his team as they scrambled to save the astronauts aboard the crippled spacecraft was: “This crew is coming home … And we must make it happen.” And they did – but not without overcoming plenty of obstacles along the way. They didn’t let failures keep them from ultimately achieving success. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H3LdBipYUUMbkApdF_kFh-7ZUUn7thPhV6LNOZ7CSiMw2Tn6Tsb_RIpFuavtt4Wr_CIspNID74M8BbjAEza5yfDMNn5eTlrnrecJiUDcMRI_PpyklPtVO-Z2FK6DlvTfEoO8x6lh3zk/s1600/Elon+Musk+failure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H3LdBipYUUMbkApdF_kFh-7ZUUn7thPhV6LNOZ7CSiMw2Tn6Tsb_RIpFuavtt4Wr_CIspNID74M8BbjAEza5yfDMNn5eTlrnrecJiUDcMRI_PpyklPtVO-Z2FK6DlvTfEoO8x6lh3zk/s320/Elon+Musk+failure.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fast-forward to the era of private spaceflight. SpaceX founder <a href="https://yourstory.com/2016/06/elon-musk-failure/" target="_blank">Elon Musk</a>, who recently watched one of his Falcon 9 rockets explode on the launch pad, has declared: "Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, 15Five CEO David Hassell contends that for today’s entrepreneurs, failure is not an option – <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238925" target="_blank">it’s required</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These varied views of failure can be difficult to reconcile for the young people we serve. Most of them have experienced a great deal of failure in school and at home. It’s no wonder that they’ve learned to fear failure and to give up when they make mistakes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our <i>3D ThinkLink Initiative</i> is designed to help at-risk kids redefine failure. We’ve seen how learning 3D design and printing gives them the opportunity to work through problems by trial and error without worrying about flunking a test or being punished. Nobody’s 3D project turn out right the first time. But the inevitable <a href="http://3dprinthq.com/beautiful-failures-when-additive-printing-goes-wrong/" target="_blank">mistakes are always instructive</a>, and sometimes even <a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/3d-print-failures" target="_blank">beautiful</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13fEVqY9586gC362P196YIh5oGbT9BPosZs8cHaQ2sWz-KvZ9sA8Iv9qvxKN0i1_0fCBBCIckRVD4s6Gk78nr7aTNtqzUV6kgHnMFGyTda5FW5nn-paH-AEG-a2B9vPL1TCir8NyokSU/s1600/Labsrudentstableswide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13fEVqY9586gC362P196YIh5oGbT9BPosZs8cHaQ2sWz-KvZ9sA8Iv9qvxKN0i1_0fCBBCIckRVD4s6Gk78nr7aTNtqzUV6kgHnMFGyTda5FW5nn-paH-AEG-a2B9vPL1TCir8NyokSU/s320/Labsrudentstableswide.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Students in 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With the CAD software and user-friendly printers we provide for <i>3D ThinkLink</i> classes </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">along with hands-on help from <a href="http://3dthinklinkblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/final-report-3d-thinklink-pilot-project.html" target="_blank">highly engaged teachers</a> in</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> the classrooms, our students can easily evaluate failures, improve their designs and print again until they’re satisfied with the results. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The key is for students to develop the confidence to keep trying in the face of failures, knowing that each mistake can lead to improvement. That’s a profoundly different way of thinking for most at-risk youth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bob Lenz, Executive Director of the Buck Institute for Education, explained on the Edutopia blog what he means when he says <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/blog/failure-essential-learning-bob-lenz" target="_blank">failure is essential to learning</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I'm not talking about dead-end failure, the kind that results in loss of opportunity, regression, or stagnation. Instead, we see failure as an opportunity for students to receive feedback on their strengths as well as their areas of improvement -- all for the purpose of getting better. When reframed as a good, constructive, and essential part of learning, failure is a master teacher.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>How do you make failure students' friend? Set a high standard and don't be afraid to tell students that they haven't met it. But in the next breath, give detailed suggestions on what they can do to improve. And, most important -- though so often given short shrift -- allow students the time, space, and support to make the revisions. In such a culture, failure does not mean, "You lose." It means, "You can do better. We believe in you. Here is some feedback: revise, and try again."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That’s why our <i>3D ThinkLink</i> curriculum includes lots of design lab sessions. Students need time to go through the process of incremental improvement so they can internalize the larger lesson about failure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtNJYDrOFfTaIgHrgfRbgywgbvIUSZI5KFcfoWHV4X_qReRLeTfLNJyaqw1O-CtufQCPYN_dv5Xz7c3zJk0bkB9qI-r3AcPhLnKENvZCU0DgUPE2VR4W96kpHsqDReD40GUna-LzTKws/s1600/Labroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtNJYDrOFfTaIgHrgfRbgywgbvIUSZI5KFcfoWHV4X_qReRLeTfLNJyaqw1O-CtufQCPYN_dv5Xz7c3zJk0bkB9qI-r3AcPhLnKENvZCU0DgUPE2VR4W96kpHsqDReD40GUna-LzTKws/s400/Labroom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>3DThinkLink class at the PHILLIPS School</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We know it works because of the results we’ve seen. For instance, here’s what a student from our first class for teens with autism at the <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/3d-thinklink-initiative-expands-to-reach-teens-with-autism/" target="_blank">PHILLIPS School</a> in Annandale, Virginia, told us: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>“What I liked about the 3D program was that it taught me that I could innovate. It’s teaching me ‘don’t give up on your design.’ … Like when you lose your data, you can always get it back – just keep going. I am using this now, every day. It is OK to lose data because you can always do it again. It helped me tolerate the loss – to start again, to start over.”</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We hear the same thing from other organizations that offer 3D printing programs for at-risk youth. <a href="https://mccartheydressman.org/2016/06/15/app-development-and-3d-printing-for-at-risk-youth-increases-learner-confidence-and-problem-solving-skills-through-maker-magic/" target="_blank">The McCarthy-Dressman Foundation and ChickTech</a> recently provided workshops in app development and 3D printing at Helensview Alternative High School in Portland, Oregon, to help students gain confidence and learn from failures. Surveys done before and after the classes showed a 22 percent increase in students reporting “I can work through problems.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PHILLIPSEvaluation3DProject2016.pdf" target="_blank">PHILLIPS School’s evaluation report</a> included this teacher’s account of the change he saw one student undergo during our pilot project. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>“During the 3rd session, the student suddenly ran back into the classroom, buried his head on the desk and shut down. He would not talk to me. He has a habit of never revealing or identifying the problem. I talked to the 3D Design Teacher who said the student got frustrated trying to create something. Then, during one of the final 3D classes, I was observing the class and this student had stopped working on the project and was doing other things on the computer. When the 3D Design Teacher went to him, the student showed him the project, identified the problem and together they problem solved. The student was able to finish and print his design – this is a major change. I have seen it in other areas as well. The student does not shut down as often.”</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The final quotation on this subject comes from a time long before Elon Musk, Gene Kranz and Yoda. “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure,” said Abraham Lincoln. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is life-changing when students learn how to use their failures to pave the way to success.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2HuvllvgIJIy1G3UTVQ_Z_k4b5Ov1oD5zGQjyJxWGdKlHiIpCGRwUDNiwoxqPKOVFxZwWvoVOxI3DQ5XzrS6jDvTFSipU1gySm38UqUdbwkjCr_hwCoOrEvz-2wvzen1vl-3_Rvyu0s/s1600/LincolnFailureQuote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2HuvllvgIJIy1G3UTVQ_Z_k4b5Ov1oD5zGQjyJxWGdKlHiIpCGRwUDNiwoxqPKOVFxZwWvoVOxI3DQ5XzrS6jDvTFSipU1gySm38UqUdbwkjCr_hwCoOrEvz-2wvzen1vl-3_Rvyu0s/s400/LincolnFailureQuote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-49999648519444429662016-11-01T14:51:00.000-04:002016-11-01T14:51:10.883-04:00Understanding Additive Manufacturing Is a Plus for 3D ThinkLink Students<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">YouthQuest’s <i><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/" target="_blank">3D ThinkLink</a></i> training gives at-risk teens an advantage in the tech-driven job market where demand for 3D design and printing skills is growing fast.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our students from Maryland’s Freestate, DC’s Capital Guardian and South Carolina Youth Challe<i>NG</i>e Academies learned about the additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, and traditional subtractive manufacturing during last month’s <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/vocational-orientation-opens-young-eyes-to-opportunities/" target="_blank">Vocational Orientation</a> field trips. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In this video, <a href="http://bigthink.com/videos/bill-nye-on-3d-printing" target="_blank">Bill Nye the Science Guy</a> explains why additive manufacturing is the way of the future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aIASyrInaxA" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3D Systems Director of Corporate Communications Tim Miller told the students who toured the company’s headquarters in Rock Hill, South Carolina, that demand for workers who understand 3D printing is skyrocketing. Job listings for positions requiring 3D printing skills <a href="http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20160127-model-your-career-in-3-d" target="_blank">jumped more than 1,800 percent</a> from 2010 to 2014, according to Wanted Analytics. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-dB___hTFI2IAMsSWYEOsToTW2OompfaRT6mpRLGcvA0cbMFKIguBS6FwRHK73dhZEOtaYNaa2KyTB_s9J_Q5TRNFlqsLAArJcJg0AWiW69tbJS3wo358NnCpAt6qXoJ8PZEOf_e85I/s1600/SC3DSCarIG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-dB___hTFI2IAMsSWYEOsToTW2OompfaRT6mpRLGcvA0cbMFKIguBS6FwRHK73dhZEOtaYNaa2KyTB_s9J_Q5TRNFlqsLAArJcJg0AWiW69tbJS3wo358NnCpAt6qXoJ8PZEOf_e85I/s320/SC3DSCarIG.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Tim Miller leads a Vocational Orientation <br />tour of 3D Systems</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers also reported:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>… knowing how to use a 3D printer has become an in-demand job skill. A recent report from data company Wanted Analytics found that in one month <a href="http://theinstitute.ieee.org/career-and-education/career-guidance/thirtyfive-percent-of-engineering-jobs-now-require-3d-printing-skills" target="_blank">35 percent of engineering job listings</a> from a variety of fields, including biomedical, software, and transportation industries, required applicants familiar with 3D printing and its additive manufacturing processes. The same report found that companies are having a difficult time finding candidates with the right skills.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fortunately for our students, many of these jobs do not require a 4-year college degree, as noted in the Potomac Laser blog:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Interestingly, the new tools being implemented are often automated and the workers who run them do not need advanced degrees. These operators who have an underlying STEM-based skillset can enter the workforce with a high school diploma or associate’s degree at a <a href="http://www.potomac-laser.com/blog/advanced-manufacturing-job-opportunities-through-middle-skill-stem-education/" target="_blank">pay scale averaging 61 percent higher</a> than workers in non-STEM jobs with similar education. </i></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoz07vr8IMsWCNtDfYz0YbGnFA7IFgf-Vyyzfd_CVHbzCOZv0oOB-3ZAoinKRx4duPsKsTAUt_b2CK2WvJd0v2cE3LrW7N8t9xNS2TcBzug9-4vSGoaWYL2dzE_rlRjaapa0T39LUmUzs/s1600/FounderyCoreyIG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoz07vr8IMsWCNtDfYz0YbGnFA7IFgf-Vyyzfd_CVHbzCOZv0oOB-3ZAoinKRx4duPsKsTAUt_b2CK2WvJd0v2cE3LrW7N8t9xNS2TcBzug9-4vSGoaWYL2dzE_rlRjaapa0T39LUmUzs/s320/FounderyCoreyIG.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Students explore additive and subtractive <br />manufacturing at The Foundery in Baltimore</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As our students discovered during their Vocational Orientation visits to businesses and universities, additive and subtractive manufacturing methods are often used in combination. For instance, 3D printing may be used in developing prototypes of a finished product that will be mass-produced through traditional manufacturing techniques. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">CAD (Computer Aided Design) software is used in both types of manufacturing. Our students learn <a href="http://moi3d.com/" target="_blank">Moment of Inspiration</a>, a professional-level CAD program, so they understand the concept of giving computer-controlled manufacturing devices the instructions to create objects, whether they’re 3D printers or subtractive CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In addition to technical skills, the <i>3D ThinkLink</i> Initiative gives students an advantage by emphasizing the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills. Research by PayScale ranked those at the top of the list of <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3059940/the-future-of-work/these-are-the-biggest-skills-that-new-graduates-lack" target="_blank">skills hiring managers say are lacking in recent graduates</a>.</span>The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-71166555567864384942016-10-17T13:38:00.001-04:002016-10-17T13:38:54.454-04:00Final Report: 3D ThinkLink Pilot Project at PHILLIPS School Was a Success<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/about-us/our-founders/" target="_blank">Lynda Mann</a>, YouthQuest Foundation Co-Founder and President</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-RjgLQ5Zv0vjMV8YCDttuazfhyj9yQyEEQc580Sja5-LQjg6gfDM-Gb7CWTjzDWv7enPXpeDM3mNie7qk-sUVJrDFWcq2HedojVS9iaSO78fOTbh5l8_tRDprIImfh-LVU1oGfynJjo/s1600/PhillipsGroup820x360New.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-RjgLQ5Zv0vjMV8YCDttuazfhyj9yQyEEQc580Sja5-LQjg6gfDM-Gb7CWTjzDWv7enPXpeDM3mNie7qk-sUVJrDFWcq2HedojVS9iaSO78fOTbh5l8_tRDprIImfh-LVU1oGfynJjo/s400/PhillipsGroup820x360New.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Kudos to the <a href="http://www.phillipsprograms.org/" target="_blank">PHILLIPS Programs – Annandale School</a> for their daring pilot of The YouthQuest Foundation’s <i><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/" target="_blank">3D ThinkLink</a></i> program for students on the autism spectrum as well as students with mental health issues. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtlO25vFNHOhkjRdbEC96X8fukKxYmikHe9opDV9lRnv1UfeblRqmxPu9eX6I5kjzrD7kYy_PPG865rnOzxqP_abbf5-jKFdbxgQ2Q7IPF-6Omfsh-3OOgHqH-lTsgbcMbMpJdiRRWHw/s1600/LukeAdamIG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtlO25vFNHOhkjRdbEC96X8fukKxYmikHe9opDV9lRnv1UfeblRqmxPu9eX6I5kjzrD7kYy_PPG865rnOzxqP_abbf5-jKFdbxgQ2Q7IPF-6Omfsh-3OOgHqH-lTsgbcMbMpJdiRRWHw/s320/LukeAdamIG.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Luke McHugh (left) and Adam Eldert<br />work on a 3D design</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The <i>3D ThinkLink</i> program’s core outcomes are to teach critical thinking skills, problem solving, and the resiliency to deal with failure. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our unique program delivery vehicle, CAD design and 3D scanning and printing, continues to be highly successful with high school dropouts, however this curriculum was untested with other cohorts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After exploring possibilities with the PHILLIPS Program personnel, we all felt confident the curriculum and the teaching delivery strategies were highly appropriate for their students. But as we all know, the proof is in <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/3d-thinklink-initiative-expands-to-reach-teens-with-autism/" target="_blank">the pilot</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23Apoh-RKzDCzbqayTSAO2C97rzJPaFdfk5FvMvpPhf-2YLdBzqPotQ-cyOpvBg02aoJ3O1aXcSIGSYz-jEpKTUmOQFBeCEmTGiocR8x0v5STTBKs5VcnL8aJUFlXjtdguGmh6hH26RQ/s1600/HenryPrinterIG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23Apoh-RKzDCzbqayTSAO2C97rzJPaFdfk5FvMvpPhf-2YLdBzqPotQ-cyOpvBg02aoJ3O1aXcSIGSYz-jEpKTUmOQFBeCEmTGiocR8x0v5STTBKs5VcnL8aJUFlXjtdguGmh6hH26RQ/s320/HenryPrinterIG.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Henry Spiegelblatt watches one of<br />his designs being 3D printed</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PHILLIPSEvaluation3DProject2016.pdf" target="_blank">PHILLIPS Program Final Evaluation Report</a> says the pilot was a success, especially in the areas of student engagement, curriculum implementation and staff support. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I honestly believe the increased student engagement and the successful curriculum implementation are both a result of the excellent work done by the PHILLIPS Program’s staff, especially the teaching staff – Samuel Son, Jim Field and Marcel Baynes. Their ability to recognize the innate creativity in these special needs youth, and to use the <i>3D ThinkLink</i> curriculum as a valuable way for the students to express themselves creatively while facilitating growth in critical thinking and problem solving, was brilliant. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I say this with confidence because we know all curriculum requirements were fully met. But more importantly, the parents and the students both reported not only increased 3D skills and improved problem solving, but also a greater sense of self-esteem and a higher level of confidence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnXD7m1DpGca0hyIOh7V1zpkCN7FXU_PminrTzIAA_0_oTfJyG0HjkMtoh7e3B5wfgfuu5QLcbIhH3c5zVpm-5tP_miZlukTU3g6lC6tD-Ev2ZjjqZQyNYj8hU5wWNsAz1HHWp_1GUis/s1600/SamMarcelJimmeasure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnXD7m1DpGca0hyIOh7V1zpkCN7FXU_PminrTzIAA_0_oTfJyG0HjkMtoh7e3B5wfgfuu5QLcbIhH3c5zVpm-5tP_miZlukTU3g6lC6tD-Ev2ZjjqZQyNYj8hU5wWNsAz1HHWp_1GUis/s320/SamMarcelJimmeasure.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Samuel Son, Marcel Baynes and<br />Jim Field in teacher training</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And how did this happen? I believe it was because the PHILLIPS Program teachers were highly engaged during their <a href="http://3dthinklinkblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/teacher-training-focuses-on-enhancing.html" target="_blank">teacher training</a> event, seeking deep knowledge and skills before the pilot launched. This high level of engagement led the teachers to create a collaborative learning environment where students felt their creativity was validated. As one student put it, “It means if you think of something really cool in your head, you can just make it.” Another shared, “Like everybody has a piece of creativity in their brain so you have to find a way to get it out (the creativity) and the class helped me to get it out.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We at YouthQuest salute the PHILLIPS <i>Designing Futures Program (3D Design and Print Program)</i>, and especially their teachers, for a job well done!</span>The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-33806265287818535892016-10-03T16:20:00.001-04:002016-10-03T16:22:01.292-04:00Student Snapshot: Alycia Freeman<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #222222;">This is the latest in an
occasional series about outstanding young people who have completed our 3D
ThinkLink class.</span></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Alycia Freeman knew she was
headed down the wrong path.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvp1L2OBVqO20ei9GtG7SqYqVJTMApJb9Nh1ZjmAFryDX_keAU10hBsq6bcfqe-NzcjIcNdCu6knnev7478v7O9WB_xIvZGAQjMrhPFPkcwq9p_NSwStV-SW-1cFUVRHCwRuFN0Gp1c0/s1600/AlyciaFreeman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvp1L2OBVqO20ei9GtG7SqYqVJTMApJb9Nh1ZjmAFryDX_keAU10hBsq6bcfqe-NzcjIcNdCu6knnev7478v7O9WB_xIvZGAQjMrhPFPkcwq9p_NSwStV-SW-1cFUVRHCwRuFN0Gp1c0/s320/AlyciaFreeman.jpg" width="256" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">YouthQuest President Lynda Mann presents a <br />$500 scholarship to Alycia Freeman in June</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Like so many of the at-risk
teens we serve, Alycia was facing a combination problems at home and at school.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her dad was doing drugs and
her parents divorced when she was 13. She moved five times and skipped school
often, spending most days caring for her ailing grandmother, who needed
knee-replacement surgery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I then started to follow in
my father’s footsteps,” Alycia recalled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After a year of spiraling
downward, she decided she had to change her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I knew I had to be
successful. I didn’t want to be a product of my environment,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Alycia enrolled in <a href="http://scyouthchallenge.com/">South Carolina Youth Challe<i>NG</i>e Academy</a> at
the beginning of this year, determined to earn her GED. Instructors recognized her
potential and selected her for the <i>3D
ThinkLink</i> training we provide at SCYCA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Being in our<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="font-style: normal;">3D </span></em>class helped her
get re-engaged in education, Alycia wrote in a <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/scholarship-winners-want-to-use-3d-printing-to-help-others/">scholarship-winning essay</a> about
her experience. It also inspired her to study surgical technology at Savannah
Technical College after completing the Challe<i>NG</i>e program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Alycia’s class visited <a href="http://www.3dsystems.com/">3D Systems</a> headquarters in Rock Hill, South Carolina, during <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/students-explore-3d-printing-beyond-the-classroom/">Vocational Orientation Day</a> in April. She said it was eye-opening to discover how the 3D technology
she learned about in class is used in the health care field. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span></strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Being
that I took care of my grandmother, I want to help others live a better life in
every way possible,” Alycia explained. “3D printing encouraged me to become a
surgical nurse. … I’m now motivated and determined to go to school and get into
the medical field and actually complete it!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-81919569859506184612016-09-14T14:44:00.000-04:002016-09-14T14:44:59.963-04:00Teacher Training Focuses on Enhancing 3D ThinkLink Curriculum<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s
back-to-school time and students aren’t the only ones doing the learning. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Teachers from Maryland’s <a href="http://freestatemil.maryland.gov/">Freestate Challe</a></span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><a href="http://freestatemil.maryland.gov/">NG</a></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><a href="http://freestatemil.maryland.gov/">e Academy</a> and the <a href="http://www.phillipsprograms.org/">PHILLIPS School</a> in Annandale, Virginia, are training in our </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> this week.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2-loZ2q80GVE6GQJTCTv9knt6yU2m1dtK-MYVmaiOyzltQhyphenhyphen-I_B4kqrLDPpq_R64FPD1oEDJC5fmbVlfBQpMfOyQCDQKArgBA3S37C7MK00M0eRh3s9OJg_HkcZC4uCPDbNZLqxOQw/s1600/TTJimM3Dsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2-loZ2q80GVE6GQJTCTv9knt6yU2m1dtK-MYVmaiOyzltQhyphenhyphen-I_B4kqrLDPpq_R64FPD1oEDJC5fmbVlfBQpMfOyQCDQKArgBA3S37C7MK00M0eRh3s9OJg_HkcZC4uCPDbNZLqxOQw/s320/TTJimM3Dsmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Jim Field works with an M3D printer</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They’re
working with our Director of Instruction, Tom Meeks, to improve the <i>3D ThinkLink</i> curriculum and learn to use
some new 3D printing equipment and materials. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Freestate’s
Rikiesha Metzger and Jim Field from PHILLIPS are providing valuable insights
about how their students have responded to various elements of the curriculum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8jRGPTARNYIcjNaG9viFqraIrkJOWUJcrPZiEoCtHqt5Cc7Hxv_7aTVwWD1UanSN6zum2WdGDRY-ct-_94r7Nh93Bsd7vB5Qpw3Cz32mj6Y3yHYJ9X5rb0WFWMQF4LNTB8w3UUJjc5k/s1600/TTRikieshaRomM3Dsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8jRGPTARNYIcjNaG9viFqraIrkJOWUJcrPZiEoCtHqt5Cc7Hxv_7aTVwWD1UanSN6zum2WdGDRY-ct-_94r7Nh93Bsd7vB5Qpw3Cz32mj6Y3yHYJ9X5rb0WFWMQF4LNTB8w3UUJjc5k/s320/TTRikieshaRomM3Dsmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Tom Meeks with Rikiesha Metzger</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For
example, they observed that hands-on activities are crucial for keeping
students engaged in learning the basics of <a href="http://moi3d.com/">Moment of Inspiration</a> 3D design
software. Some kids become impatient and tune out when it takes too long to
start printing things. As a result, we are reorganizing the lesson plans so
that students will be able to print during their very first class session. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
order to improve tracking of students’ progress, Tom and the teachers are adding
“assessment projects” to the curriculum. Students will complete a project every
week or so to show they’ve mastered key 3D design skills and to exercise the
critical thinking and problem solving skills our program emphasizes. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgUsMVdFmyayRL_RjvSel87iORIFykMgxiWW0afm_71AEzrig_5thgkArextWnT7E5zN8Ce9Hqu92an5wXR-ulQ0eclRFs29_q5J1QsntQHyyahUSCYIWtXIc6by58Q-fgKIM_vEOjio/s1600/blackboardproject.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgUsMVdFmyayRL_RjvSel87iORIFykMgxiWW0afm_71AEzrig_5thgkArextWnT7E5zN8Ce9Hqu92an5wXR-ulQ0eclRFs29_q5J1QsntQHyyahUSCYIWtXIc6by58Q-fgKIM_vEOjio/s400/blackboardproject.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Rikiesha Metzger, Jim Field and Tom Meeks discuss assessment projects</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During
three years of teaching at-risk youth about 3D, we’ve learned that these
students are especially eager to make things that are personalized, useful and
have sentimental value for their family and friends. The assessment projects we’re
developing reflect that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We’re
excited to have some new tools that make it possible to create items that can’t
be produced with our Cube 2 printers, which use only hard plastic PLA or ABS
filament. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
teachers are learning to use the Micro 3D printer, a small, versatile machine
made by <a href="http://printm3d.com/">M3D</a>. It can handle a <a href="http://3dthinklinkblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/exploring-new-materials-and-printers-in.html">wide variety of filaments</a> including rubbery and
translucent plastics and even materials that change color when exposed to
certain temperatures. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These
tools will open up all sorts of creative possibilities for our teachers and
students as we begin a new <i>3D ThinkLink</i>
class cycle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-26681052542954839472016-09-09T15:56:00.000-04:002016-09-09T16:07:43.022-04:00Seeing Math and Art in New Ways Through 3D Printing<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Teachers often tell us that being in our <i><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/">3D ThinkLink</a></i> class helps students do
better in math. At the same time, many students say learning about 3D design
and printing brings out their artistic creativity.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s part of the magic of 3D printing as a teaching
tool. It combines mathematics and art in ways that appeal to all sorts of
students, especially those who are <a href="http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles-styles.shtml">visual or tactile learners</a>. It’s easier for
them to <a href="https://spark.autodesk.com/blog/3d-printings-impact-education">understand an abstract concept</a> when they have the ability to transform
it into a physical object they <a href="http://news.psu.edu/story/407124/2016/04/27/academics/3d-printing-creates-math-formulas-students-can-hold-their-hands">can hold and examine from every angle</a>. And in
the process, they sometimes discover there’s beauty in the numbers and
formulas.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This idea predates 3D printing by at least a century, as WIRED magazine reported in an article about 19<sup>th</sup>-century mathematician
<a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/06/math-equations-models/#slide-1">Felix Klein</a>. He pioneered the idea of turning equations into three-dimensional
models. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>“… workers in Klein’s
laboratory painstakingly drew the horizontal sections solving a planar version
of the equation. Each cross-section was cast separately, in a plaster made from
powdered chalk, bone glue, double varnish, essence of lavender and essence of
clove. Then the layers were carefully stacked, glued together, and sanded
smooth.</i><span class="apple-converted-space"><i>”</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The process is strikingly similar to what’s done by today’s
powder-bed 3D printers like the Z450 in
our <i>3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab</i>. They build objects using layers of engineered
gypsum powder and liquid binder. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4Qx210lI5t9jzQ8XjK2AIFNhU8OPbfR0gmtz0AM2jNs_wsXOg6eF98CMB8VLAUZhoutTccjwWiNi4ygoW5Gbos7UBWMKCVIuPpjwSddUwCH0G6HN1mFMml2EfdElK3iqV-Kqk8G_JA8/s1600/220px-Modell_der_Diagonalfl%25C3%25A4che_von_Clebsch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4Qx210lI5t9jzQ8XjK2AIFNhU8OPbfR0gmtz0AM2jNs_wsXOg6eF98CMB8VLAUZhoutTccjwWiNi4ygoW5Gbos7UBWMKCVIuPpjwSddUwCH0G6HN1mFMml2EfdElK3iqV-Kqk8G_JA8/s1600/220px-Modell_der_Diagonalfl%25C3%25A4che_von_Clebsch.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;"><i>“The models were
part of a program to make algebra palpable. It’s one thing to check that the
derivatives of a function are zero and another to feel the plaster taper to a
sharp point. … By making models you can hold in your hands, Klein hoped to keep
mathematics anchored to the physical world. ‘Collections of mathematical
models and courses in drawing are calculated to disarm, in part at least, the
hostility directed against the excessive abstractness of the university
instruction,’ Klein said at the 1893 <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Evanston colloquium</span>. An
image or an object does more than ease fear of the unseen, it makes the
equation real.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">As WIRED notes, artists and
architects were sometimes inspired by the models they saw on display in
university math departments. Today, “<a href="http://virtualmathmuseum.org/mathart/MathematicalArt.html">mathematical artists</a>” such as <a href="http://3dprintingindustry.com/news/paul-nylanders-world-3d-printed-math-art-23170/">Paul Nylander</a> and <a href="http://www.segerman.org/">Henry Segerman</a> are producing wondrous creations, thanks to 3D
printing.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JIM-IWh_-n0" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Others are using additive
manufacturing technology to visualize the invisible. They’re <a href="http://blog.wolfram.com/2014/02/12/spellbound-valentines-diy-art-from-3d-printed-sound/">turning audio waveforms into 3D-printed art</a>. For example, here’s a keychain charm in the shape of the
soundwave of a person saying “I love you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSnoLNffM8hnKFs8IRiBkhcvbM_hx4-tkRgAC28IiGkN0LMXN8UMbtOMtWPeSLmEadNPNmzUYq8oJ48NXYOsBStVbFPegOKfn8Y-hjMrzUJLDc45KJ5EqBiX2L18EJYLt1zTRImgNgXA/s1600/ILoveYouWaveform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSnoLNffM8hnKFs8IRiBkhcvbM_hx4-tkRgAC28IiGkN0LMXN8UMbtOMtWPeSLmEadNPNmzUYq8oJ48NXYOsBStVbFPegOKfn8Y-hjMrzUJLDc45KJ5EqBiX2L18EJYLt1zTRImgNgXA/s400/ILoveYouWaveform.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">One thing we know about our </span><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">3D ThinkLink</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> students is that they love
to make things that are personalized and unique. While some of the "math art" calculations may be too advanced for our students, making things like <a href="https://3dprint.com/145779/encode-ring-3d-printed-rings/">rings</a> and
<a href="https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/3d-printed-wavelet-lets-you-wear-your-voice-everywhere-59722/">bracelets</a> in the shapes of their own voiceprints is well within their
abilities.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">And those who want to think way outside
the box can try to wrap their minds around projects like these <a href="http://3dprintfeed.com/eight-mystifying-3d-printed-optical-illusions/">3D-printed optical illusions</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwnsR0hS3Om9zrh2zRXOiaw4emhzxbjJJM3KLeZRvLTHCNsoRJ41wplUfgtBju1dXcToezsV9XjFNz-crU1_QGftEYwBvV4se3VQuh7BhsgjK8C0WTed-vlMIbSYvtdNKJZ2lC5T0_io/s1600/penrose+triangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwnsR0hS3Om9zrh2zRXOiaw4emhzxbjJJM3KLeZRvLTHCNsoRJ41wplUfgtBju1dXcToezsV9XjFNz-crU1_QGftEYwBvV4se3VQuh7BhsgjK8C0WTed-vlMIbSYvtdNKJZ2lC5T0_io/s400/penrose+triangle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-9290715726183764812016-09-01T16:41:00.000-04:002016-09-01T16:41:40.978-04:00The 3D ThinkLink Initiative: We Can’t Do It Alone<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
takes a team to make our </span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3D
ThinkLink Initiative</span></i></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> work. Fortunately, we have great partners in this project to
build better lives for at-risk youth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
we move from summertime to a new season of 3D design and printing classes for
our students, we’re reminded of how many people and organizations are contributing
to the success of our mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Topping
our MVP (Most Valuable Partners) list is AOC Solutions, which is headed by
YouthQuest Co-Founder and Vice President Allen Cage. He explained his dedication
helping to at-risk youth recently in a post on the </span><a href="http://www.aocsolutions.com/blog/aoc-solutions-partners-with-youthquest-foundation-to-raise-funds-for-at-risk-teens"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AOC blog</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I’ve always believed it’s important to give back, especially
to young people,” said Allen O. Cage Jr. “During my 24 years of active duty in
the Army and over 20 years in business at AOC, I’ve traveled a lot and seen
kids who are dealing with some tough situations. A little help can make a big
difference. So I think it’s very important to raise funds and give back to
these kids.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Allen’s commitment is contagious. Many AOC employees
donate their time and talents to YouthQuest, including </span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/youthquest-foundation-honors-2016-award-winners/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Valerie
Hightower</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, recipient of our 2016 Volunteer of the Year Award.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We also honored </span><a href="http://blog.duncan-parnell.com/?p=56122"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Duncan-Parnell</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> as
our 2016 Community Partner. Like previous award winners </span><a href="http://www.protoprod.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Prototype Productions</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">,
Inc. and 3D Systems, Duncan-Parnell hosts Vocational Orientation events for our
students twice a year, along with providing technical support for our </span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/students-do-real-research-in-youthquests-3d-thinklink-creativity-lab/"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab</span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Longtime supporters like Charlie White at </span><a href="http://www.blafinancial.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">BLA Financial</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
contribute in a variety of ways. Every year, Charlie donates a day of sailing
the Chesapeake Bay aboard his 46-foot sloop as one of the items in our golf
tournament’s silent auction. This year, Charlie was among the first to purchase
a </span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/3d-thinklink-youth-mentor-program/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">$500
Tech Pack</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> that will empower one of our top students to serve as a
mentor. He’s also promoting our </span><a href="http://www.blafinancial.com/we-support-our-communities"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Youth
Mentor Program</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> on BLA’s website. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is an exciting time of year. We’re coming off last
month’s </span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/new-friends-familiar-faces-make-golf-tournament-a-success/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">golf
tournament</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, our signature annual fundraising event. In a couple of
weeks, we’ll host a teacher training session and a new cycle of <i>3D ThinkLink</i> classes will begin soon at the
DC, Maryland and South Carolina Youth Challe<i>NG</i>e
Academies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the months ahead, we’ll expand our partnership with
the </span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/3d-thinklink-initiative-expands-to-reach-teens-with-autism/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">PHILLIPS
Programs for Children and Families</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> and </span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/photo-gallery/nggallery/fundraisers/Horizons-Hampton-Roads-Summer-Program-2016"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Horizons
Hampton Roads</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">None of this would be possible without the generous
support of our many partners. If you would like to join the team, please
contact Operations Manager Juan Louro at </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="mailto:juan.louro@youthquestfoundation.org">juan.louro@youthquestfoundation.org</a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> or
(703) 234-4633. You can also </span><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/donate-now/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">click here to make a
donation</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-15612011042238638082016-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:002016-09-12T11:47:54.578-04:00Introducing the 3D ThinkLink Youth Mentor Program<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our
<i><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/">3D ThinkLink</a> </i>training includes 30
hours of classroom instruction and labs, a four-hour community service project
and a day of <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/students-explore-3d-printing-beyond-the-classroom/">Vocational Orientation</a>. Students selected for <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/students-do-real-research-in-youthquests-3d-thinklink-creativity-lab/">advanced training</a>
spend a week in our <i>3D ThinkLink
Creativity Lab</i> to deepen their understanding of 3D design and printing, and
to further develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But
then what happens?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
want our students to retain the benefits of their <i>3D ThinkLink</i> experience after they’ve completed their training. In
fact, we want them to spread those benefits to others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB1SRtz9pEWSwu_8M-pcdCnDPmp-bRaYROXEa7gkA3zzwuOl-JerbffLtcZtS7MRXYkhixLjNcGXxCDOEmetNwObKRg8HuQBco0RKZOgApSFmzQEibgdFZiZWPcVojmHnVzHf6Eo4R-U/s1600/SEFSplit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB1SRtz9pEWSwu_8M-pcdCnDPmp-bRaYROXEa7gkA3zzwuOl-JerbffLtcZtS7MRXYkhixLjNcGXxCDOEmetNwObKRg8HuQBco0RKZOgApSFmzQEibgdFZiZWPcVojmHnVzHf6Eo4R-U/s400/SEFSplit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>3DThinkLink students introduce youngsters to 3D printing <br />at the 2014 USA Science & Engineering Festival</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s
why we’ve launched a program to exponentially increase our foundation’s ability
to reach at-risk youth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The goal of our <b><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/3d-thinklink-youth-mentor-program/">Youth Mentor Program</a></b> is for the life lessons we instill in our students to be passed
along from person to person, spreading through under-served communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We’re going to give our most motivated and capable
advanced students the tools they need to continue learning about 3D and to
share their knowledge with their family, friends and neighbors. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Each student in
our Youth Mentor Program will receive a Tech Pack, which includes a 3D printer,
design software, laptop computer and training.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOPMEkh3OTlh0p9d6HwguQAh6mXf0jWxVRuRUyjnm5ckH0KbFkDqT42BAp8fwi-_fw_N3wl6UjvK0TKqGTZNTW4OdZR8BGHeRz6MitbIDTnsPCBkcy9DXlQzvT6M9waJCa7zUNgCXrKI/s1600/Tech+Pack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOPMEkh3OTlh0p9d6HwguQAh6mXf0jWxVRuRUyjnm5ckH0KbFkDqT42BAp8fwi-_fw_N3wl6UjvK0TKqGTZNTW4OdZR8BGHeRz6MitbIDTnsPCBkcy9DXlQzvT6M9waJCa7zUNgCXrKI/s400/Tech+Pack.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Your
donation of $500</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> will buy a Tech Pack for a deserving
student. <span style="background: white;">To contribute to this important new
program, please contact YouthQuest Operations Manager Juan Louro at<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="mailto:juan.louro@youthquestfoundation.org">juan.louro@youthquestfoundation.org</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>or (703) 234-4633.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We know that <a href="http://socialworklicensemap.com/the-value-in-mentoring-our-youth-2/">mentoring is especially beneficial</a> for at-risk
teens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By turning our students into mentors as they make the
transition to adulthood, we will build up their self-esteem and empower them to
inspire younger kids and even older people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They will drive positive change from within their
communities by giving back and being role models, as well as resources for 3D
design and printing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-75875824531919646402016-08-16T12:49:00.000-04:002016-08-16T12:50:49.156-04:00Student Snapshot: Tyeshia Blackmond<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the latest in an
occasional series about outstanding young people who have completed our 3D
ThinkLink class.</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG72UnMfStCVeCtm35awT4OPDB9Buc-4pbCRbHmsD8eojbj-U7oKgbNY-6VN7Fskg165h4NPHEwMtqDyUwTidPpFdJpPvp0Tgb7qzpBqPqfX2YE12JG9gh9MPrnJmbULNhQ_Gvzi0vsB4/s1600/BlackmondSpeech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG72UnMfStCVeCtm35awT4OPDB9Buc-4pbCRbHmsD8eojbj-U7oKgbNY-6VN7Fskg165h4NPHEwMtqDyUwTidPpFdJpPvp0Tgb7qzpBqPqfX2YE12JG9gh9MPrnJmbULNhQ_Gvzi0vsB4/s320/BlackmondSpeech.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Back
home, not too many people believed in me and I often heard what I could not or
would not do, but this program has given me more power to prove them wrong,”
Tyeshia Blackmond wrote in an essay about her <i><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/tag/3d-thinklink-initiative/" target="_blank">3D ThinkLink</a></i> experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
youngest of nine children in her family, Tyeshia had quit going to school a
couple of years ago and was “hanging out with the wrong crowd.” She enrolled in
Washington DC’s <a href="http://www.cgyca.org/" target="_blank">Capital Guardian Youth Challe<i>NG</i>e Academy</a> last year in hopes of turning her life around. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tyeshia
said she’s grateful for the opportunity to participate in our 3D program at CGYCA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I
am aware that everyone does not get a chance to be exposed to this type of
technology,” she explained in her essay. “I know of people back home that do
not have an idea of what 3D printing pertains to and can do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Being
in 3D ThinkLink class brought out her creativity and built up her confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I
would have never known I could be so passionate and it has been very empowering
to develop such skills,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tyeshia,
who’s aiming for a career in social work or counseling, was chosen as one of
two student speakers at CGYCA’s graduation ceremony in June, 2015. She went on
to work as a summer intern at the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory
Affairs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-60446106988719768262016-08-12T15:05:00.000-04:002016-08-12T15:05:13.195-04:00Exploring New Materials and Printers in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIULy-wbS_zzs3yfauXofh_YrjKAK9usnlACirs4ByfPeywIaCZBk4z1D8n2GlolIAeEauWFulk9MKTmZHlYTlArQ-XCbgipLK6haA_VuyEGCf5W6QEnZNLdNP7Tab68tkNTqdIJvp_xE/s1600/LabGroupDay1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIULy-wbS_zzs3yfauXofh_YrjKAK9usnlACirs4ByfPeywIaCZBk4z1D8n2GlolIAeEauWFulk9MKTmZHlYTlArQ-XCbgipLK6haA_VuyEGCf5W6QEnZNLdNP7Tab68tkNTqdIJvp_xE/s400/LabGroupDay1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One
of our favorite parts of summer is having students come to the <i><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/students-do-real-research-in-youthquests-3d-thinklink-creativity-lab/" target="_blank">3DThinkLinkCreativity Lab</a></i>. We invite outstanding graduates of our introductory <i>3D
ThinkLink</i> classes to attend advanced training sessions in the lab at our
headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">NeLazjay
Brown and Kelvin Stoddard from Washington, DC’s <a href="http://www.cgyca.org/" target="_blank">Capital Guardian YouthChalleNGe Academy</a> and Henry Spiegelblatt from the <a href="http://www.phillipsprograms.org/" target="_blank">PHILLIPS School</a> in Annandale,
Virginia, spent two days in the lab last week exploring 3D printing methods and
materials that go far beyond what they experienced in their schools.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 27.6px;">On Wednesday, Director of Instruction Tom Meeks introduced the students to the new </span><a href="http://printm3d.com/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 27.6px;" target="_blank">M3D</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 27.6px;"> printer and the many types of filament it can use. The Cube machines they had in their classrooms print only with hard PLA or ABS plastic, but the M3D can handle flexible filament that feels like soft rubber and comes in many eye-catching translucent colors.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobvsCNw6KQFeX-lOlHxnLuz-HSaWIw2XLvMJPm26vLKOVPn3BeqDcW7nlVvwtiqjryn4O0Gh_e753y3noIJrwcWZxQBASCLhW2XaVyHflWX-Yo-mEFiG_HwBPHVJhP_YTaN3jB3umNzk/s1600/temptestsplit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobvsCNw6KQFeX-lOlHxnLuz-HSaWIw2XLvMJPm26vLKOVPn3BeqDcW7nlVvwtiqjryn4O0Gh_e753y3noIJrwcWZxQBASCLhW2XaVyHflWX-Yo-mEFiG_HwBPHVJhP_YTaN3jB3umNzk/s400/temptestsplit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Henry Spiegelblatt, NeLazJay Brown and Kelvin Stoddard test materials</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tom
also showed the kids <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hHulkFg_Gs" target="_blank">Chameleon filament</a>, which changes color when the
temperature rises or falls. They did experiments with hot and cold water to
record temperature points that produced color changes for various types of thermochromic
filaments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Because
our <i>3D ThinkLink</i> project is as much about thinking as it is about 3D printing,
the students spent the rest of the day coming up with ideas for things they
could make with the new materials they’d learned about – then designing and
printing their creations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iYIYd9KgKtFdXumJUi-RJ2Dg3vyddEWG7GoN1C_74LfIqWpcV9fZkZr8UXVdxlxghMiTnNNz7HSkXHizx0wScEy_pK07W_-W4DSBAOaBF-5kMHWHFKvhOte3NaiSZKRZUgC-dQGHonc/s1600/StoddardZ450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iYIYd9KgKtFdXumJUi-RJ2Dg3vyddEWG7GoN1C_74LfIqWpcV9fZkZr8UXVdxlxghMiTnNNz7HSkXHizx0wScEy_pK07W_-W4DSBAOaBF-5kMHWHFKvhOte3NaiSZKRZUgC-dQGHonc/s320/StoddardZ450.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Kelvin Stoddard removes powder from<br />a model car printed on the Z450</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
also demonstrated our Z450 printer, a full-color inkjet and powder bed machine,
to teach the kids about a 3D printing method that’s quite different from the
FDM (fused-deposition modeling) they used at school. Instead of extruding
layers of melted plastic filament like the Cube or M3D, the Z450 builds layers
of ink and liquid binder on super-fine gypsum powder. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaTVFck94suvGpRNCGN8OziJsJFWSPHqFdMrCgVxzj1rL3U6dKA7XzkWQgVvgloHY3dN6dJ3Ub2-nMzX86YfrUz-l8MQVDlp4sgOTrtwjIpuSZ7ozzx5UVesg5fE613RqW-01EzLSc90/s1600/JellyboxLadiGroupTable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaTVFck94suvGpRNCGN8OziJsJFWSPHqFdMrCgVxzj1rL3U6dKA7XzkWQgVvgloHY3dN6dJ3Ub2-nMzX86YfrUz-l8MQVDlp4sgOTrtwjIpuSZ7ozzx5UVesg5fE613RqW-01EzLSc90/s400/JellyboxLadiGroupTable.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">IMade3D CEO Ladi Goc explains the JellyBox 3D printer to the lab class </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thursday’s
lab session was devoted to the JellyBox, a unique 3D printer kit from <a href="http://www.imade3d.com/" target="_blank">IMade3D</a>. It’s
designed to be assembled, operated and taken apart over and over again so
students can understand how 3D printers work. Besides being a great teaching
tool, the JellyBox produces beautiful, high-quality prints in a variety of
materials. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">IMade3D
CEO Ladi Goc and outreach director Bruce Troutman spent the day with the kids
in the lab, but didn’t give them any written instructions. Instead, the students
examined a fully assembled JellyBox, asked questions and figured out what to do
through trial and error. This helped strengthen their problem-solving skills, a
key element of <i>3D ThinkLink</i> training. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusxSucUO-cKqSRkpadljsGT0DLyWQhHx3rbol9FMw4K8ZaA7Vh7hWG_v1oJ5SKFhshf98X_mAlxUy8vPYpleZUxJIy3Grjb8N13ivh0BAcndzGbaAa6NFX3DljHLOyWzyex-h-dCotNE/s1600/JellyBoxBuildSplit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusxSucUO-cKqSRkpadljsGT0DLyWQhHx3rbol9FMw4K8ZaA7Vh7hWG_v1oJ5SKFhshf98X_mAlxUy8vPYpleZUxJIy3Grjb8N13ivh0BAcndzGbaAa6NFX3DljHLOyWzyex-h-dCotNE/s400/JellyBoxBuildSplit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Our lab students assemble JellyBox 3D printers </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">NeLazjay,
who has strong mechanical abilities, especially enjoyed the hands-on learning activity.
In about three hours, the kids finished building their JellyBox and started
doing test prints. Ladi and Bruce said they’d never seen a group complete the
project so quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHNuXYJ6pzBfF_et4hnzYKR6UkbSzGZk4J4kHwQfqczWMaJhVQN9oztdnnXGvaFgiQPox-6OmQ5m0DuFHPnt-BJEA1An2mVMc1BK_iVLUt3aOE0kcLhGCL1qADN9IhQWj2Iu1iszyU-Y/s1600/TomKidsTable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHNuXYJ6pzBfF_et4hnzYKR6UkbSzGZk4J4kHwQfqczWMaJhVQN9oztdnnXGvaFgiQPox-6OmQ5m0DuFHPnt-BJEA1An2mVMc1BK_iVLUt3aOE0kcLhGCL1qADN9IhQWj2Iu1iszyU-Y/s320/TomKidsTable.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Tom and the students at<br />YouthQuest's VIP Reception</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
big payoff came on Thursday night, when the students attended our annual VIP
Reception to meet some of our leading supporters and show off their 3D printing
skills. Our guests at the event hosted by Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine
Bar in Tysons Corner were fascinated to see the JellyBox and M3D printers in
action and impressed by what the kids had accomplished.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last
week’s experience was a confidence-builder for Henry, Kelvin and NeLazjay. We
hope it inspires them to go further with 3D printing and to build on the
thinking skills they’re developing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We also want to thank technology
teacher Jim Field from the PHILLIPS School and CGYCA staffers Tonya Lewis and
Ricardo Abbott for being with us during the lab sessions. They seemed to enjoy
the activities as much as the kids!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04I4X9UYSYwSU-igxwV9koEWfzosLkJWTCv_otd2soCnIpqQXckGuzC8QZrFAtH4tm-HkCS6qm7TomQ1vPwoG7MXLZh3oXiUeV2qLt7cYzhFANWwI9OR_6yjbEoi3L_ujmTdc2S5HFwU/s1600/LabDaysCertSplit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04I4X9UYSYwSU-igxwV9koEWfzosLkJWTCv_otd2soCnIpqQXckGuzC8QZrFAtH4tm-HkCS6qm7TomQ1vPwoG7MXLZh3oXiUeV2qLt7cYzhFANWwI9OR_6yjbEoi3L_ujmTdc2S5HFwU/s400/LabDaysCertSplit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Henry Spiegelblatt, NeLazJay Brown and Kelvin Stoddard receive certificates from YouthQuest President Lynda Mann and Director of Instruction Tom Meeks</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-23954063290032401562016-07-22T16:12:00.000-04:002016-08-16T12:39:26.297-04:00Student Snapshot: Adonis Gonzales<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">This is the first in an
occasional series about outstanding young people who have completed our
3D ThinkLink class.<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">NASA had the <a href="http://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/intro.htm" target="_blank">Mercury 7</a> – the first class of American astronauts.
YouthQuest has the <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/video-congratulations-to-students-in-our-3d-printing-program/" target="_blank">Original 8</a> – our first <i>3D ThinkLink</i> class.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBEgzUoMXap9aSRN-dkBL9OikFXVYdHF_0VNSzHVSWQFUomF5SYzh0C_op3y8DiVpcW2DBkfDqrV4mRR8-1Re7CAUjHgPWC03vTORyiAz96e_4FD_fSRymHr7Ik3TKOHyi_zlwh23gK4/s1600/AdonisGheadshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBEgzUoMXap9aSRN-dkBL9OikFXVYdHF_0VNSzHVSWQFUomF5SYzh0C_op3y8DiVpcW2DBkfDqrV4mRR8-1Re7CAUjHgPWC03vTORyiAz96e_4FD_fSRymHr7Ik3TKOHyi_zlwh23gK4/s320/AdonisGheadshot.jpg" width="275" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">One member of that groundbreaking group is <b>Adonis Gonzales</b>. We
met him early in 2013 when he was a 17-year-old Cadet at Maryland’s <a href="http://freestatemil.maryland.gov/" target="_blank">Freestate Chall<i>NG</i>e Academy</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">He told us he always wanted to become a master electrician. But he
had given up on high school, staying home “watching TV or sleeping” instead of
going to class. Eventually, he said, the principal told Adonis he’d missed so
many days that he couldn’t come back to school. After working a series of brief
odd jobs, Adonis realized he needed more education in order to provide “<b>a
better future</b>” for himself, his girlfriend and their baby daughter.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Adonis enrolled in Freestate, where instructors recognized his
potential and selected him for our <i>3D ThinkLink</i> pilot project.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">“When I first went into the class, I saw the computers and
printer and thought that it was going to be too hard,” he said in an interview
with the <a href="http://www.fairfaxconnection.com/news/2015/jun/18/youthquest-runs-thinklink/" target="_blank">Fairfax Connection</a>. “But then the instructor said that if we could
imagine something, then we could create it. The first thing I made was a heart
with my daughter’s name on it.”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">“Your mind can go farther than you think,” Adonis told us after
his class took <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/3d-printing-in-action-eye-opener-for-at-risk-youth/" target="_blank">Vocational Orientation</a> tours of a 3D Systems production facility
and Prototype Productions, Inc., in Northern Virginia.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Adonis has been in an electrician apprenticeship program for more
than two years and says he uses the problem solving skills he learned in our
class to work through obstacles on the job.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">“It helps me be creative with my mind and materials around me,” he
said about his 3D ThinkLink experience.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Adonis also took our
“failure is not final” message to heart. He didn’t pass his GED exam the first
time he took it – or the second time. But he didn’t give up and he learned from
his mistakes until, on the third try, Adonis earned his GED.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ozZlF5gslQcVqyghSLoz7C2pUN7SMlh9MrRDLFXew5Xg3UY8xrIpQF5mHv3dY_Erlx2QuWHGZSfuiHwGfYZOcSHKcitDax9gYGDnLUu2y3Yh84jJ5u1RcStKbVKl8gedih9f9JMn3YQ/s1600/Class40groupwide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ozZlF5gslQcVqyghSLoz7C2pUN7SMlh9MrRDLFXew5Xg3UY8xrIpQF5mHv3dY_Erlx2QuWHGZSfuiHwGfYZOcSHKcitDax9gYGDnLUu2y3Yh84jJ5u1RcStKbVKl8gedih9f9JMn3YQ/s400/Class40groupwide.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Original 8 - Freestate Challe<i>NG</i>e Academy, June 11, 2013</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-31054326437244889312016-07-19T16:55:00.000-04:002016-08-16T12:37:56.209-04:00We Get a Kick Out of This 3D-Printed Penguin Boot Project<span style="font-size: large;">Our students love stories like this one about <a href="https://3dprint.com/142731/purps-penguin-3d-printed-boot/" target="_blank">Purps the Penguin</a>. <a href="http://www.3dsystems.com/blog" target="_blank">3D Systems</a>, our Strategic Partner in the <i>3D ThinkLink Initiative</i>, teamed up with a middle school class in Connecticut to create a 3D-printed boot for the injured bird at Mystic Aquarium.</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="325" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7-J8lO_1S2k" width="590"></iframe>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You might have seen stories about <a href="http://3dprintingindustry.com/news/10-animals-who-got-a-2nd-chance-in-life-with-3d-printing-51221/" target="_blank">other ailing animals</a> – dogs, cats, birds, horses, turtles and more – that are living better lives now, thanks to 3D-printed devices. One of our favorites is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRmoowIN8aY" target="_blank">Derby</a>, a dog born with deformed front legs. We discovered that 3D Systems created <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/lucky-dog-gets-a-fresh-set-of-3d-printed-prosthetic-legs/" target="_blank">Derby’s prosthetics</a> with the help of Derrick Campana of <a href="http://www.animalorthocare.com/blog/" target="_blank">Animal Orthocare</a>, located just a few miles from our Chantilly, Virginia, headquarters.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSv43z17tkAhQS0jA_DlnBeYBn7qtmAc9KkE4W_Ew1AKhWF-_ljABvQhQwDl7HnWD10a4Q1Puu2Mf-EQzHEhiewTaIqGvOIhT62GeweRiqIaWc63OwCFtIsVB-TErPbwl2xpAKVR6hQEI/s1600/AODerrickShows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSv43z17tkAhQS0jA_DlnBeYBn7qtmAc9KkE4W_Ew1AKhWF-_ljABvQhQwDl7HnWD10a4Q1Puu2Mf-EQzHEhiewTaIqGvOIhT62GeweRiqIaWc63OwCFtIsVB-TErPbwl2xpAKVR6hQEI/s200/AODerrickShows.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Derrick Camapana shows students</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">a prosthetic foot for a dog</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We connected with Derrick last year and he hosted a vocational orientation event to show our students from Maryland and DC how he uses 3D scanning, design and printing in his work. He also made it possible for us to acquire some high-end equipment for our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab, including a Z450 full-color inkjet and powder bed printer. We honored Animal Orthocare with our 2015 Community Partner Award.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Learning about animals like Purps and Derby, and visiting places like Animal Orthocare, is inspirational for the at-risk kids we serve. Many of them tell us they want to <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/scholarship-winners-want-to-use-3d-printing-to-help-others/" target="_blank">use their 3D skills to help others</a>. Some are particularly interested in what they can do for animals.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">For example, Kimora Felton was touched by Derby’s story. Kimora completed our 3D ThinkLink course, graduated from <a href="http://scyouthchallenge.com/" target="_blank">South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy</a> last December and came to our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab in January for a week of advanced training.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We awarded Kimora a <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/youthquest-scholarship-winners-pursue-their-dreams/" target="_blank">$500 scholarship</a> for an <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/2015-scholarship-winning-3d-thinklink-student-essays/" target="_blank">essay</a> she wrote about her 3D ThinkLink experience. In it, she explained how she hopes to become a veterinarian and use 3D printing to help her patients. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMk9uC8kveP_IXKNN8KqgY1ZxDxSmjbHT9PVaUviRRH_XjMqXL_Cv3jJhPzWDkMM4TYhGkcQpxDquxcz20tdw6OFOjo6UkaQjYkiatjJayUouhP4CSuiOcVNEu-qG8uW6FDbylTwHkWY/s1600/KimoraCube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMk9uC8kveP_IXKNN8KqgY1ZxDxSmjbHT9PVaUviRRH_XjMqXL_Cv3jJhPzWDkMM4TYhGkcQpxDquxcz20tdw6OFOjo6UkaQjYkiatjJayUouhP4CSuiOcVNEu-qG8uW6FDbylTwHkWY/s200/KimoraCube.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kimora Felton at work in our</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">“Involving 3D printing into this field will give deformed, damaged or diseased animals that are on the verge of being euthanized a second chance,” wrote Kimora, who enrolled in the Veterinary Assistant program at Horry Georgetown Technical College in Conway, South Carolina, earlier this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Kimora is getting a second chance, too, thanks to SCYCA and YouthQuest.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">“Before getting involved with 3D printing my mind was scattered. Trying to relieve anger and finding ways to express myself, I’d do things that made me act out of character, which led me to think I wasn’t worth anything at all,” she said. “Finding myself as a student of YouthQuest Foundation Program made me think of myself as someone. I finally found a way to express myself through creating digital objects and turning them all into 3-dimensional physical models.”</span>The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-30195876662109930482016-07-18T12:37:00.000-04:002016-07-19T13:10:36.871-04:00What Can 3D Printing Build? Better Lives for At-Risk Youth<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The most important part of our <i>3D
ThinkLink Initiative</i> isn’t 3D printing. It’s all about thinking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Poor decision-making – what our Co-Founder and President Lynda
Mann likes to call “stinkin’ thinkin’” – has led to all sorts of trouble for
the at-risk kids we work with. Our project is a fun, hands-on way of showing
students how to learn from their mistakes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfZt8lFZhYDmMrQJOXmEwxAg258SoCwWdkXcbamErdodosNqr5sG7XCpjo0DEs1VSJxCF-mQBuj_G1tIIXRjM83NeLejVEMW2jZrRpjVtxbe9NsMD4kZv5lmUMXtpn4SwGnaJ7agL0Og/s1600/phonecasefails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfZt8lFZhYDmMrQJOXmEwxAg258SoCwWdkXcbamErdodosNqr5sG7XCpjo0DEs1VSJxCF-mQBuj_G1tIIXRjM83NeLejVEMW2jZrRpjVtxbe9NsMD4kZv5lmUMXtpn4SwGnaJ7agL0Og/s200/phonecasefails.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A collection of failed phone case prints<br />
in our 3D ThinkLink Creatvity Lab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The process of turning an idea into a 3D-printed object is fraught
with failure. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We have boxes filled with parts that didn’t turn out right the first
time, or the second or third or fourth time – and <a href="http://epic3dprintingfail.tumblr.com/">we’re not alone</a>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In our classes, kids who once quit trying when they failed discover
new ways of overcoming obstacles and reaching goals. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We know our students will
benefit from these critical thinking and problem solving skills throughout
their lives, even if they don’t continue with 3D printing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Listen to what some of our students and teachers say about the
life lessons learned through the <i>3D
ThinkLink Initiative</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="325" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RLyNOATXjQc" width="590"></iframe>The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6978160194938929409.post-51612659582734086132016-07-15T11:17:00.000-04:002016-07-18T12:40:11.189-04:00Welcome to YouthQuest's 3D ThinkLink Blog<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRfRexITuX89eDgQJG0icrMQfo8WObAk7BpC59CBsLsoiPhOccfONz1PPX2t5iyK9J0RU_HsMpJMJpFkCEkVyq04KeQJr_m-dLlnIQO5qkdER33JGIvSsomIWdIYql9XLCpaPWoXuwXg/s1600/Blogpost1Split.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRfRexITuX89eDgQJG0icrMQfo8WObAk7BpC59CBsLsoiPhOccfONz1PPX2t5iyK9J0RU_HsMpJMJpFkCEkVyq04KeQJr_m-dLlnIQO5qkdER33JGIvSsomIWdIYql9XLCpaPWoXuwXg/s400/Blogpost1Split.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/" target="_blank">The YouthQuest Foundation</a> serves at-risk youth by providing
the resources they need to become successful adults. We believe education –
development of academic, vocational and life skills – is the key.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The <i>3D ThinkLink Initiative </i>is our signature STEAM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) education project. We use instruction in 3D
design and printing as a vehicle to teach critical thinking and problem solving
skills, encourage creativity and boost self-confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Unlike other 3D printing initiatives, ours focuses on
at-risk teens, not the Science Club kids. We reach those who would otherwise
never be exposed to such innovative technology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Since the project launched in 2013, nearly 200 students have
completed our training, which includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and
labs, a 4-hour service project and 8 hours of Vocational Orientation at
universities and businesses where 3D printing is used. Twice a year, we invite outstanding students from the introductory classes to our <a href="http://www.youthquestfoundation.org/students-do-real-research-in-youthquests-3d-thinklink-creativity-lab/" target="_blank">3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab</a> in Chantilly, Virginia, for a week of advanced training.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We work primarily with National Guard Youth Challe<i>NG</i>e
Programs serving Maryland, South Carolina and the District of Columbia, which
run residential academies where high school dropouts get a second chance. This
year, we began classes for students with high-spectrum autism at the
<a href="http://www.phillipsprograms.org/" target="_blank">PHILLIPS School</a> in Annandale, Virginia, and a summer program for low-income 6th graders at <a href="http://horizonshamptonroads.org/" target="_blank">Horizon Hampton Roads</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Default">
<span style="font-size: large;">With the 3D printing industry in the midst of
explosive growth, students who’ve gained hands-on experience with this
revolutionary technology have an advantage in competing for STEAM-related jobs.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Default">
<span style="font-size: large;">Even
more important, the <i>3D ThinkLink Initiative </i>teaches teens how to think
creatively and solve problems through experimentation and step-by-step
improvement. It dramatically shifts an at-risk child’s perception – and
society’s perception – of what’s possible for them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The 3D objects they create rarely turn out right the first
time, but having user-friendly design software such as <a href="http://moi3d.com/" target="_blank">Moment of Inspiration</a> makes it easy for our students
to learn from their mistakes. Instead of getting frustrated and giving up as
they used to do, they analyze problems, re-think their design decisions and
print again until they’re satisfied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">They come to understand that <b>failure is not final</b> – in 3D printing
or in life.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ua5X0oVZVmBHIK4q0cOu7421uyzZC2vWt3vSPDRROgwlpqXgf4qPjOgcvBJab41nkbF4ZRmFhFIUBaGLFVuC1x55YgejDxnquoaxU4hXoQ7e8tdJkrTqy0yBlsBbn8Yfiznjlj0DqpU/s1600/Day1GroupWide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ua5X0oVZVmBHIK4q0cOu7421uyzZC2vWt3vSPDRROgwlpqXgf4qPjOgcvBJab41nkbF4ZRmFhFIUBaGLFVuC1x55YgejDxnquoaxU4hXoQ7e8tdJkrTqy0yBlsBbn8Yfiznjlj0DqpU/s400/Day1GroupWide.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
The YouthQuest Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344953927809710467noreply@blogger.com0