Tag: 3D Systems

3D ThinkLink Students Earn Scholarships in Essay Competition

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Essay contest scholarship winner Kamie Moody with YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks and Co-Founder Lynda Mann. at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy December 9, 2014.

The YouthQuest Foundation awarded $500 scholarships to four at-risk teens who wrote outstanding essays about what being in our 3D ThinkLink classes meant to them.

Sherquana Adams and Michael Foster were honored during the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy’s awards ceremony in Eastover, S.C., on Dec. 3. Caleb Dujmovic and Kamie Moody received their awards Dec. 9 at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy in Edgewood, Maryland.

“3D printing has given me a completely new confidence about the way I think when creating,” Kamie, 19, wrote in her essay. “I’ve learned that I don’t have to be the best artist, I just have to have the capacity to think outside of the box.”

She recalled the 3D ThinkLink Initiative’s most important lesson: Failure is not final.

University of Maryland graduate student Kim Ferlin talks with Kamie Moody in the Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Lab at the Maryland NanoCenter.
University of Maryland graduate student Kim Ferlin talks with Kamie Moody in the Tissue Engineering Lab at the Maryland NanoCenter.

Kamie and her classmates learned that the 3D objects they designed rarely turned out as expected the first time. The software and hardware we provided made it easy for them to analyze their mistakes, improve their designs and quickly print new versions.

“It takes us a few tries before we get our desired outcome,” Kamie explained. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ve bitten off more than we could chew, it just means that we have to put in more work to get to our goal. The key is to keep trying.”

This is a radically different way of thinking for young people who once responded to failure by giving up on school.

Our project does more than introduce students to the basics of 3D design and printing. It teaches them about critical thinking and problem solving – skills that are sorely lacking in high school dropouts.

‘I Have Found My Gift’

Our students in Maryland and South Carolina, as well as those at the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy, enrolled in the programs run by the National Guard to resume their education and develop the fundamental life skills they need to become successful adults. Their teachers chose them for our 3D ThinkLink classes to supplement their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education.

The rigorous 22-week residential program “can get extremely challenging at times,” Kamie wrote. “I was desperate to find an outlet. 3D printing became that outlet.”

Our training gave her the tools to bring out her “inner creativity.”

“I’ve been a tactile learner for as long as I can remember.” Kamie continued. “I loved to put things together to challenge my mind to build things from scraps and make them into something complete.”

“The feeling I get when I’ve brought to life something that started off as a mere thought in my head is indescribable.”

Kamie’s success in class has inspired her to continue pursuing a career in architecture and design.

“I truly believe that I have found my gift and with it, I plan to leave my mark,” she declared.

Essay contest scholarship winner Caleb Dujmovic with YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks and Co-Founder Lynda Mann.
Scholarship winner Caleb Dujmovic with YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks and Co-Founder Lynda Mann.

Our 3D ThinkLink training led Kamie’s Freestate classmate Caleb Dujmovic to discover his passion for the field of bio-engineering during a Vocational Orientation tour of the Maryland NanoCenter at the University of Maryland in College Park.

“My group and I were given the opportunity to visit a laboratory there, and witness first-hand the uses of 3D printing outside of the classroom,” Caleb wrote in his essay. “We were given a crash course in how the laboratory creates small bones and blood vessels for the human body.”

Caleb, 18, described his visit to the Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Lab as an “amazing experience” that sparked a “profound interest that I never knew I would have.”

‘This Class Really Opened My Mind’

Michael Foster listens to Dr. David Rocheleau explain how a 3D printing is used at the University of South Carolina Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Michael Foster listens to Dr. David Rocheleau explain how a 3D printing is used at the University of South Carolina Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Michael Foster’s essay made it clear he has taken to heart the message he heard from some of 3D Systems, Inc.’s top executives during his Vocational Orientation tour of the company’s headquarters in Rock Hill, S.C.

“I am the future of 3D printing,” wrote Michael, 17. “I know it sounds a little dramatic but it’s true; it’s up to me and people like me to pick up the torch and carry this passion to the next creative minds.”

“I believe that this is the place where I put my foot in the door to the future.”

Michael, who aspires to join the military and study photography, said his 3D ThinkLink experience made him realize “we really have no limitations.”

His SCYCA classmate Sherquana Adams also described the training as enlightening.

“This class really opened my mind and eyes to a lot more than I thought I would know. I never knew you could do so many things by just using a computer,” Sherquana, 18, said in her essay.

Sherquana Adams tries on 3D-printed eyeglasses during a visit to 3D Systems headquarters in Rock Hill, SC.
Sherquana Adams tries on 3D-printed eyeglasses during a visit to 3D Systems headquarters in Rock Hill, SC.

Sherquana, who has a 2-year-old son and wants to become a surgical technician, was intrigued to learn how 3D printing is helping children whose hands are deformed by Amniotic Band Syndrome. Instead of relying on standard artificial limbs that they quickly outgrow, these children can now use simple, plastic “robohands.” The parts are made with a 3D printer and can be scaled up easily as a child grows. Best of all, each hand costs less than $100, compared to tens of thousands for a traditional prosthetic device.

All of our scholarship winners will have the opportunity to create customized robohands and work on other projects to expand their skills during a week of immersion training in our in 3D ThinkLink Lab next month.

This was our second essay competition of 2014. Freestate’s Requan Da Sant won the first contest in June. This time, 13 students from Maryland, South Carolina and DC submitted essays. They were reviewed by our Board of Directors and John Gilstrap, a bestselling author and YouthQuest supporter.

The winners will receive their scholarship money when they become enrolled in a higher education or trade school program.

CLICK HERE to read all four winning essays.

VIDEO: A Year of Growth for YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative

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Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy students use laptop in 3D ThinkLink class

YouthQuest’s project to teach critical thinking and problem solving skills through 3D design and printing reached 60 at-risk teens from South Carolina, Maryland and the District of Columbia in 2014.

This year’s highlights included the participation of students from Maryland’s Freestate and DC’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Programs in the USA Science and Engineering Festival in April and the first weeklong immersion training at our 3D ThinkLink Lab at YouthQuest headquarters in Chantilly, Va., in August.

Our students also saw how 3D printing is used by industries and universities during Vocational Orientation events at 3D Systems, Prototype Productions, the Maryland NanoCenter and the University of South Carolina Mechanical Engineering Department.

We look forward to further expansion in 2015 with the formal opening of the 3D ThinkLink Lab and the start of 3D printing classes for grade-schoolers at Boys & Girls Club summer camps in Fairfax County, Va.

You can help us change the lives of more at-risk kids by making a contribution to support our 3D ThinkLink Initiative. CLICK HERE to donate online. You can also contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

Vocational Orientation Has 3D Printing Students Thinking About the Future

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3D ThinkLink student Matthew Crews from South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy talks about 3D printing with Rajeev Kulkarni, , Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Solutions for 3D Systems. at the company's headquarters in Rock Hill, SC, Oct. 23, 2014.

In addition to teaching at-risk teens 3D design and printing, YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative shows them how those skills can take them places they never imagined.

Students from our Maryland and DC classes examine objects created with a Cube 3 printer. at 3D Systems factory in Herndon, Va., Oct. 17, 2014.
Students from our Maryland and DC classes examine objects created with a Cube 3 printer.

“Awesome!”

“Crazy!”

“Mind-Blowing!”

Those were a few of the reactions from the 3D ThinkLink students who toured 3D Systems headquarters in Rock Hill, SC, on Oct. 23. The visit was part of Vocational Orientation for the class from South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy.

The students were fascinated by the array of advanced 3D printing technologies and products on display. They had lots of questions about the machines 3D Systems makes and job opportunities in the company, which is our strategic partner in this project.

“I got to learn things about 3D printing that I never knew before, like there are ones that use metal powder and certain machines can use up to a million different colors,” said Cadet Matthew Crews, 16.

UMD grad student Tony Melchiorri tells Capital Guardian students how this 3D printer helps him make blood vessel grafts. at Maryland NanoCenter Oct. 17, 2014
UMD grad student Tony Melchiorri tells Capital Guardian students how this 3D printer helps him make blood vessel grafts.

Cadet Crews enthusiastically discussed his interest in 3D printing with Rajeev Kulkarni, Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Solutions, who was just as eager to hear our students’ thoughts about the Cube 2 printers they use in class. Kulkarni also showed them the newly released Cube 3, which future 3D ThinkLink classes will use.

A week earlier, on Oct. 17, students from our classes at Maryland’s Freestate and the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academies, watched Cube 3 printers being assembled at the 3D Systems factory in Herndon, Va.

Those Cadets also saw how 3D printing helps create products for military, medical, automotive and aerospace customers at Prototype Productions, Inc., in Ashburn, Va. At the Maryland NanoCenter’s Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Lab in College Park, they visited graduate students who are using 3D printing to develop vascular grafts and grow human bone.

Dr. David Rocheleau leads a tour of a mechanical engineering lab at the University of South Carolina during vocational orientation for YouthQuest's 3D ThinkLink students from the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy Oct. 23, 2014.
David Rocheleau leads a tour of the University of South Carolina mechanical engineering lab.

The Maryland NanoCenter, PPI and 3D Systems have generously hosted previous Vocational Orientation events. For the first time, we also took the South Carolina students to the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

Mechanical Engineering Department Graduate Director David Rocheleau led a tour of several labs where researchers use 3D printing and traditional technologies to test materials. He explained, to the students’ delight, that mechanical engineers spend a lot of their time “trying to break things and blow them up.”

At every stop, our hosts helped the students understand that they’re part of the 3D printing boom. What they’re learning seems novel to most people now, but this technology has the potential to become as commonplace and essential as the personal computer soon.

Thanks to these eye-opening Vocational Orientation experiences, our students now see there are many ways they can be part of building the 3D-printed future.

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VIDEO: A Week of Discovery in YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink Lab

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Students in YouthQuest's first 3D ThinkLink Lab immersion training week

The students in our first 3D ThinkLink Lab made up an unlikely team of trailblazers.

Not long ago, they were “going down the wrong path.” They were getting into trouble, giving up on school and feeling like nobody cared about them. Each one made the life-changing decision to enroll in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, where they learned about 3D design and printing in classes provided by the YouthQuest Foundation.

Thirty at-risk teens from South Carolina, Maryland and the District of Columbia completed the introductory course in June. From those classes, instructors chose these five young men to attend the first weeklong training session at YouthQuest headquarters in Chantilly, Va., Aug. 4-8.

For South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy graduate Joey Clark, it was an “adventurous” week.

“We all come from different places, with different problems,” he said. “You didn’t know what was going to happen. It was a mystery.

“We started printing some stuff out, started having fun and then we all became pretty much brothers.”

The students’ main project for the week was to build a solar-powered walking robot and use 3D printing to customize it. In the process, they learned about creativity, problem solving and teamwork, said YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks, who was delighted by how quickly the students pulled together.

Daikwon Jones and Brice Lamb help each other assemble their robots
Daikwon Jones and Brice Lamb help each other assemble their robots

Within hours, the 3D ThinkLink Lab was buzzing with activity as the students helped each other assemble their robot skeletons and troubleshoot problems.

“You really have to think when it comes to 3D printing because your first thing isn’t always going to work,” observed Joey.

He and fellow SCYCA grad Brice Lamb had to think outside the box when they discovered their solar panels wouldn’t produce enough power to make their robots walk. Joey came up with the idea of using a AA battery to run the motor. He worked with Tom to design and print a battery holder that attached to his robot’s back.

That led Brice to experiment with a smaller button-type battery from one of the electronic calipers the students used to take precise measurements.

“This is the kind of problem-solving skill we’re trying to instill in these young people,” said Tom. “We want them to know that when you reach a hurdle, you don’t just stop. You take a look at it, think about it and then come up with a solution to your problem.”

“Doing 3D taught me it’s OK to make mistakes because you can always go back and redo it,” added Jarrod Burley from Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy.

“This has helped me so much,” said Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy graduate Daikwon Jones. “It gives you a chance to be yourself. It’s like an artist with a painting.”

The students showed off their creations during the annual VIP reception for YouthQuest’s leading supporters, held at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in McLean, Va., on Aug. 7. Getting to meet some of the at-risk youth they’re helping made a powerful impression on our donors.

“They are highly educated, successful, accomplished in their professions,” noted Tom, “yet they didn’t know as much about 3D printing as our students did.”

Rashad Byrd with (L-R) Carrie and Pete Schourek, and Jones Lang LaSalle Managing Director Harry Klaff at VIP Reception August 7, 2014
Rashad Byrd with (L-R) Carrie and Pete Schourek, and Jones Lang LaSalle Managing Director Harry Klaff at YouthQuest’s VIP Reception

“CEOs, captains of industry, professional athletes, authors… were actually held spellbound,” Capital Guardian Information Systems Manager and 3D ThinkLink instructor Keith Hammond recalled with a smile.

“It made me feel special,” said Brice.

The reception guests were fascinated by 3D printing, added Jarrod, but many they said they didn’t think they’d be able to do it. “When I told them, ‘You can do anything you put your mind to,’ it amazed them,” he said.

Jarrod’s Freestate classmate Rashad Byrd, a sports fan who dreams of playing pro baseball, was amazed that he was able to spend time with two famous athletes in two days. He talked with retired MLB pitcher Pete Schourek about 3D printing – and baseball – at the VIP reception, then got a pep talk on the final day of class from sportscaster Rick ‘Doc’ Walker, who was a member of the Super Bowl XVII Champion Washington Redskins. Both of them played in our charity golf tournament, the Challenge at Trump National, on Aug. 11.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Stay focused on your goals and don’t get distracted,” Doc told the students. “Don’t ever let anyone make fun of you for trying to be successful. Knowledge is the key.”

The first 3D ThinkLink Lab experience was an eye-opener for everyone.

“All week, we’ve been creating stuff. We’ve been expanding our minds.” said Daikwon.

“I never thought I would be telling somebody to not give up and to just keep trying. If you mess up, just start all over again,” said Jarrod.

These five young trailblazers, who have started over and put themselves on the path to a better life, taught us a great deal during the week. Because of what we learned from their experience, we will be able to accomplish even more in the next immersion labs as we acquire more sophisticated 3D printers.

If you would like to help us expand our 3D ThinkLink Initiative, please CLICK HERE to make a donation or contact us at info@YouthQuestFoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

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3D Printing Class Graduates Explore Career Opportunities

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Director of Project Management Derek Johnson leads ThinkLink students from South Carolina on a tour of 3D Systems headquarters in Rock Hill

A wide world of possibilities awaits the students from South Carolina, Maryland and the District of Columbia who have just completed the 3D ThinkLink Initiative training course provided by the YouthQuest Foundation.

They got a close-up look at some of their educational and career opportunities during Vocational Orientation events last week.

YouthQuest’s 3D design and printing classes supplement the math and science curriculum at three National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Academies, where high school dropouts get a chance to turn their lives around. Our project introduces these at-risk teens to the revolutionary technology of additive manufacturing while also helping them develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they need to succeed.

3D ThinkLink Initiative students from Maryland and DC visit the 3D Systems factory in Herndon, Va., June 6, 2014
Students at the 3D Systems plant in Virginia

The South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy class was treated to an extensive tour of 3D Systems headquarters in Rock Hill, S.C., on June 5. The next day, the Cadets from Maryland’s Freestate and DC’s Capital Guardian programs visited the 3D Systems facility in Herndon, Va., where the Cube 2 printers they used in class were made.

The company is the Foundation’s strategic partner in the 3D ThinkLink Initiative.

“3D Systems really pulled out all the stops for us,” said YouthQuest President and Co-Founder Lynda Mann.

She praised the many 3D Systems employees who took time to show the students around and answer their questions. Their explanations helped the Cadets see how concepts they learned about in school, such as the scientific method, are used on the job.

In Rock Hill, employees from many departments – such as accounting, legal, sales and human resources – joined the students during lunch to take the conversation beyond technology. They asked about the Cadets’ aspirations and described the sometimes-twisted path they took to their job at 3D Systems. The teens came away with some valuable insights to consider as they plan their own careers.

The South Carolina students wrapped up their day with a visit to ITT Technical Institute in Columbia, where they explored opportunities in skilled-trades education and used a computer program to create some simple house designs.

University of Maryland FabLab Director Jim O'Connor holds a silicon disk
Maryland FabLab Director Jim O’Connor

The Maryland NanoCenter at the University of Maryland was the first stop for the DC and Maryland students on June 6. FabLab Director Jim O’Connor used a 60-year-old transistor radio and a silicon disk printed with billions of microscopic transistors to illustrate nanotechnology. Then he took the group into a lab where engineers and biologists are working together to 3D-print human tissue.

The Cadets were impressed and pleasantly surprised to learn that they’re only a few years younger than many of the students they met who help with the groundbreaking research in the lab.

Switching from the research to the production aspects of 3D printing, the students toured Prototype Productions, Inc. in Ashburn, Va.

PPI’s Chief Technology Officer Ben Feldman and Project Engineer Darin Janoschka showed how the company uses a combination of additive manufacturing and traditional machine shop work to develop products for clients in industries including medical, biotech, aerospace and defense.

Coming a week before graduation, these Vocational Orientation events were important in providing real-world context for the lessons the students learned in class. Now, as they take the next step in their lives, they have a better understanding of the options available to them, thanks to our 3D ThinkLink Initiative.

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VIDEO: YouthQuest’s Strategic Partnerships

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3D Systems display at 2014 USA Science and Engineering Festival

YouthQuest Co-Founders Lynda Mann and Allen Cage praise the Foundation’s strategic partners: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 3D Systems Inc., Virginia Tech and Trump National Golf Club, Washington, DC.

All four of these partners continue to make vital contributions to our mission of helping at-risk youth achieve their potential as productive citizens.

VIDEO: 3D ThinkLink Initiative on Display at USA Science & Engineering Festival

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A Freestate ChalleNGe Academy Cadet in YouthQuest's 3D ThinkLink Initiative class 3D scans a young visitor to the Foundation's exhibit at the USA Science & Engineering Festival on April 26, 2014

Students in YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative classes got the opportunity to do some learning and some teaching at the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, DC, on April 25-27.

The Cadets and teachers from Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy and the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy joined our Foundation’s President and Co-Founder Lynda Mann, Director of Instruction Tom Meeks and Communications Director Steve Pendlebury at YouthQuest’s exhibit booth.

“Everyone had a good experience here,” said Capital Guardian Cadet Alexander Cruz. “It was too interesting. You find things you would never think of.”

“I’m glad to be exposed to new things like this,” added his classmate, Cadet Daikwon Jones.

The 3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival was billed as America’s largest celebration of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). Imagine a three-day school science fair that fills both levels of the Washington Convention Center, in which the parents helped make all the displays – and all the parents are geniuses.

Hundreds of children and adults stopped by our booth to see what our students are learning and to hear about how the 3D ThinkLink Initiative is helping them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

“I got to see stuff I never saw before. I got to think in ways other than I usually think about how to solve problems using different types of strategies,” Capital Guardian Cadet Demetrius Morgan said.

With the help of our strategic partner, 3D Systems, we had students operate a Sense 3D scanner to show how multiple images are captured and stitched together to create the data file that is then turned into a plastic object by a Cube 3D printer.

The Cadets also helped small children assemble 3D-printed stackable beehive puzzles to demonstrate the concept of building objects in layers. They explained to the kids that bees are nature’s 3D printers because they make honeycombs by stacking up layers of wax in precise patterns, just as the Cube machine does with heated plastic filament.

“It was a good experience to talk to people about 3D printing,” said Freestate Cadet Daniel Mueller. “I have a better understanding of it now.”

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When they weren’t staffing the booth, the students explored other exhibits and quickly discovered that they’re seeing the start of the additive manufacturing boom. The technology they’re learning about in class is quickly spreading to all sorts of industries, opening new career opportunities for those who have 3D design and printing skills.

Visitors who had been to the festival before remarked about how many displays included 3D printers this time. Just a year or two ago, the machines were a rarity. In fact, there were so many this year that a young boy asked one of our fellow exhibitors, “Is 3D printing the theme of this festival?”

It might as well have been.

However, there was also much more on display at the USASEF.

“One thing I found fascinating was the robots; how they built them, and how they use them for many things from just plain toys to defusing bombs for the SWAT team,” said Freestate Cadet Dakota Doyle.

The festival helped Freestate Cadet Kayla Coleman “learn much more about astronomy.” Her dream is to work for NASA.

“I never thought I’d be interested in science stuff like this” said Capital Guardian Cadet Daisha Allen. Being at the festival changed her mind.

In addition to learning more about STEM subjects, the students got to work on their presentation skills and practice speaking in public.

“It gave me more of the skills of talking to people because I’m not really used to it, but I know it’s something I have to work on. So it was fun for me to learn how to communicate with people better,” said Freestate Cadet Kayla McFadden.

Several visitors to our booth remarked about how poised and well-spoken the Cadets were – and what a good job they did working with the younger children.

It was clear, though, that there’s still a bit of little kid in these young men and women who are just weeks away from graduation. Asked to name their favorite activity at the USASEF, the overwhelming majority of Cadets said it was getting to eat graham crackers that had been dipped in super-cold liquid nitrogen.

To see why, watch this video from one of the STEM celebrities who appeared at the festival, Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Visit YouthQuest’s Exhibit at the USA Science & Engineering Festival

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USA Science & Engineering Festival logo

YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative will be on display at America’s largest celebration of STEM, the USA Science & Engineering Festival, April 26-27 in Washington, DC.

Students and teachers from the 3D design and printing classes the Foundation sponsors at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy and Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy will participate in our interactive exhibit, “Better Thinking Through 3D Printing.”

YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks talks to children about 3D printing at a STEM career fair in Dulles, Va.
3D printers always attract curious kids and adults at events like this STEM career fair with Director of Instruction Tom Meeks last year.

Our 3D ThinkLink Initiative helps teach at-risk youth to think differently and solve problems creatively so they can make better decisions as they enter adulthood. The Freestate and Capital Guardian Cadets at our booth will be telling visitors what they’ve learned and showing how they use software and hardware to turn ideas into 3D-printed reality.

Our strategic partner 3D Systems is teaming up with us for this event. We will have neighboring booths at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. We’ll also use the company’s Sense scanners and Sculpt modeling software to capture 3D images of booth visitors and put their faces on coins and cameos created on the spot by 3D Systems printers.

The bookmark/rulers we’ll be handing out at our booth will show visitors how to try 3D printing themselves. By going to a page on our website, they will be able to create customized rings and tags using 3D Systems’ online Cubify tools.

If you’re going to be in the Washington area April 26-27, please visit us at Booth 1136 in Exhibit Hall A of the Convention Center from 9 am to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday.

The USA Science & Engineering Festival is FREE and open to all ages.

USASEF is a national grassroots effort to advance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. This third annual event will bring together hundreds of the leading professional scientific and engineering societies, universities, government agencies, high-tech corporations and STEM outreach and community organizations.

More than 250,000 K-12 students and parents, 5,000 teachers and 3,000 STEM professionals are expected. They’ll experience more than 3,000 fun, hands-on activities and 150 stage shows featuring science celebrities such as Bill Nye the Science Guy, Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe, physicist and visionary Michio Kaku and the Grammy-winning band They Might Be Giants.

The festival will include a Career Pavilion and College Fair for high school students.

Visit this link to plan your day at USASEF: http://www.usasciencefestival.org/

VIDEO: What’s Ahead for YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative

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Keith Hammond and Tom Meeks with Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academy cadets 2013

With a new cycle of 3D ThinkLink Initiative classes starting, it’s a good time to take a look at where our STEM education project has been and where it’s going.

What began with a group of eight graduates at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy a year ago has grown to include three programs and three dozen students who will receive 34.5 hours of instruction in 3D design and printing.

The South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy is holding classes for the first time — joining the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which introduced classes last fall, and Freestate, where the YouthQuest Foundation launched this project last spring.

3D ThinkLink Initiative teacher training
3D ThinkLink Initiative teacher training

Instructors from all three schools spent a week at YouthQuest headquarters last month preparing for this class cycle. While the teachers work in the classrooms, YouthQuest’s Director of Instruction Tom Meeks will lead the sessions via video conferencing from a central location. Tom will also visit each class so he can get to know the students in person and reinforce the message that the things they learn in class will help them make better decisions.

As our 3D ThinkLink Initiative grows, so does the support we receive from our strategic partner, 3D Systems, which provides the Cube printers, Sense scanners and Sculpt software students use in class.

The South Carolina students will tour the company’s Rock Hill headquarters in June as part of their Vocational Orientation Day, which shows them how the skills they learn in class are used in the working world.

We also are teaming up with 3D Systems for an exhibit at the USA Science and Engineering Festival, the nation’s largest celebration of STEM, next month in Washington, DC.

Students from Freestate and Capital Guardian will participate in interactive demonstrations of 3D scanning, modeling and printing. They will have the chance to tell other students what our classes have taught them about solving problems by thinking creatively. When they’re not at our booth, they’ll be exploring the scientific wonderland of exhibits that will fill the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

USASEFOfficial_Partner_Logo_croppedVisit our exhibit at the USA Science and Engineering Festival April 26-27. Participants include more than 750 of the world’s top scientific and engineering societies, universities, government agencies, tech companies and STEM outreach and community organizations. We’ll be in Hall A, Booth 1136 – right next to 3D Systems. It’s free!

The festival is sure to be the kind of life-enriching experience our foundation strives to provide for at-risk youth. It’s also an excellent opportunity to tell our story to people in the STEM education and additive manufacturing communities who can help support YouthQuest’s mission.

One of our immediate priorities is to begin creating a 3D fabrication laboratory equipped with software and printers that can do more than the ones our students use in class. Two students from each of the classes that are now starting will be selected to spend a week in the lab in July, where they will delve deeper into 3D printing and learn to work with materials other than plastic, such as clay and even candy.

Eventually, community groups and individuals will be able to use the facility for a fee, to help cover the costs of our educational programs.

Another goal for this year is to expand the 3D ThinkLink Initiative beyond the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. YouthQuest President and Co-Founder Lynda Mann is leading an outreach effort to partner with other youth organizations that work in underserved communities throughout America.

Click on the video below for more about where we’ve been and where we’re headed.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support the 3D ThinkLink Initiative, click here to donate or contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

Teachers Complete 3D ThinkLink Initiative Training

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YouthQuest 3D ThinkLink Initiative teacher training

Instructors from three National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Programs spent the week of Feb. 3 preparing for the next round of The YouthQuest Foundation’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative classes.

They completed our first teacher training course at YouthQuest’s headquarters in Chantilly, Va. The sessions led by the Foundation’s Training Director Tom Meeks and President Lynda Mann covered everything from brain development and critical thinking skills to the use of Moment of Inspiration and Cubify Sculpt design software to operating a Cube 3D printer.

Our unique STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education project uses 3D printing to teach critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By learning to think differently, at-risk teens who once gave up on school become re-engaged in their education and discover how to make better decisions to achieve their goals in life.

Ivan Tucker and Joi Toliver from South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy look at a Cube 3D printer
Click the picture to see a photo gallery.

During a busy week of training, the teachers did everything their students will do in class. Hands-on projects included using basic shapes to create an Egyptian level and designing, printing and assembling a set of gears. The 15-unit curriculum wrapped up with a creative exercise in which they manipulated images captured by a Sense 3D scanner.

The teachers also got an overview of the many vocational opportunities for their students. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is used in such diverse fields as automotive and aerospace engineering, cooking, medicine, architecture and art.

The 3D ThinkLink Initiative was launched at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy early last year and expanded to include the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy last fall. Our newest partner is the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy. All three programs will begin 3D classes in March.

Congratulations to the first-class teachers in our first class!

Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
Rikiesha Metzger
Tim Jackson

Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy
Keith Hammond
Herman Lantz

South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy
Joi Toliver
Ivan Tucker

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support the 3D ThinkLink Initiative, click here to donate or contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

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