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America Makes Sponsorship of and Exhibition at the 3rd Annual USA Science and Engineering Festival

April 24, 2014 | Categories: America Makes News

Youngstown, Ohio — April 24, 2014. America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, is proud to announce its sponsorship of and exhibition at the 3rd annual USA Science and Engineering Festival to be held April 26-27, 2014, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Look for the America Makes exhibit in the Engineering Pavilion, Hall A, Booth 761.

“In order for our nation to remain competitive in the global economy, it is imperative that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives be supported, advanced, and made available to our nation’s youth—tomorrow’s innovators, scientists, and engineers,” said America Makes Director and NCDMM Vice President Ed Morris. “America Makes is committed to STEM initiatives and proud to support the USA Science and Engineering Festival, our nation’s only national science festival. We are also delighted that many of our members are joining us in support of this important event.”

The USA Science & Engineering Festival is a national grassroots effort to advance STEM education and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. America Makes member Lockheed Martin is the founding and presenting host. The Festival’s mission is to re-invigorate the interest of our nation’s youth in STEM by producing and presenting the most compelling, exciting, educational, and entertaining science festival in the United States.

Approximately 750 organizations are exhibiting at this year’s event, including America Makes members 3D Systems Corporation, 3M, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Northrop Grumman, Pennsylvania State University, Raytheon Company, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Stratasys, Inc., University of Maryland, University of Texas at El Paso, and West Virginia University. More than 250,000 visitors are also expected.

“On a national level, the USA Science and Engineering Festival is unrivaled in its scale and magnitude; there’s not a bigger or better forum,” said Mike Hripko, America Makes Deputy Director of Workforce and Educational Outreach. “Our participation in the Festival enables us to expose 3D printing to a large number of students across a broad age range—from kindergarten through high school age. We have tailored our exhibit, titled ‘Hands-on 3D Printing Experiences,’ accordingly to inspire students at every age with the unlimited possibilities of 3D printing.”

At the America Makes exhibit, attendees can participate in a variety of hands-on activities to experience how 3D technologies are changing the way things are being made today. Thanks to the generosity of America Makes members, the exhibit will be outfitted with Cube and Mojo 3D printers from 3D Systems and Stratasys, respectively, and feature the INVENTORcloud Program from Applied Systems and Technology Transfer (AST2).The youngest attendees with the help of America Makes mentors will be able to choose from a selection of pre-designed cookie cutters, print them out, and use PLAY-DOH® modeling compound to cut out “cookies.” The Gear Wall experience will provide the opportunity for middle school age students to design and customize their own gear in CAD, print them out on the 3D printers, and add them to the “gear wall” within the America Makes booth. High school students will design their own miniature wind turbine blades and print them out. Students will then engage in proof-of-concept demonstrations in which their blades will be mounted onto a turbine stand where wind from a fan will directed at the stand. A tachometer will be used to measure revolutions per minute (RPM) to prove the effectiveness of their blade design.

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