Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus has a new 3D printing lab – and six middle school students spent their spring break learning how to use it.
The seventh- and eighth-grade students from several Blount County schools took part in a free 3D printing camp offered by Pellissippi State through the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) program.
The two-day camp was led by Pellissippi State Instructor Shane Terry, who teaches 3D Additive Manufacturing in the college’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program, with help from Pellissippi State student Jonathan Seiber.
Over a period of two days, middle schoolers learned how to use 3D pens, which extrude heated plastic that hardens rapidly, to draw freehand or stencil. They also used 3D printers to create one large and one small project to take home.
With the proceeds from Pellissippi State’s second GIVE grant, emphasis has been placed on creating learning opportunities in rural counties that will enhance career and technical education statewide. The addition of 3D printers at the Blount County Campus expands the potential course offerings for youth, traditional students and workforce development education beyond what’s already being offered at the Hardin Valley and Strawberry Plains campuses.
“Our goal with the camp is to provide opportunities for students K-12 to do career exploration so that they can make a more informed decision when it’s time for them to choose a track,” said Jon Gilbert, work-based learning manager for Pellissippi State. “Camps like this give them hands-on experience to draw on when they’re thinking about what they would like to do.”
Ava Fain, a seventh grader at Coulter Grove Intermediate School in Maryville, invited her friend Amelia Overton, a seventh grader at Union Grove Middle School, to attend the camp with her and learn a new skill.
“I thought it would be fun to learn how to 3D print,” she said, emphasizing that her guess was right.
The students also toured the Blount County Campus and learned about the kinds of careers available in 3D printing.
“These are fun camps to do, and ultimately, we’d love for them to remember this opportunity and want to come here,” Gilbert said.
See a video of the middle schoolers in action here.
###