Last month, students in the inaugural class of Long Island’s Pathways in Technology Early College High School (LI P-TECH) embarked on a diverse educational journey. On August 6, 7 and 8, P-TECH students got a fully immersive crash course in the revolutionary technology of additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing. For three days, these students came together for an interactive 3D printing project at the Institute for Research and Technology Transfer at SUNY Farmingdale State College.
During the three-day workshop, students collaborated to design and assemble a Printrbot 3D printer kit. Each student then used the kit to create his or her own 3D creation. This colorful, cutting edge lesson gave students personal experience with one of the most innovative technologies the world has to offer. Students also had the opportunity to tour the Long Island Forum for Technology’s (LIFT) Composite Prototyping Center, a living laboratory dedicated to state-of-the-art technology and the STEM disciplines.
The leading edge-lesson was bookended by back-to-basics environmental activities at two Nassau BOCES sites. At the start of the academy, students came together at the Brookville
Outdoor and Environmental Education Center for a series of team-building exercises designed to encourage trust, collaboration, risk-taking, cooperation and problem solving. These skills were reinforced during a daylong wilderness adventure at Caumsett State Park that ended the academy with orienteering, canoeing and a survival exercise.
— Submitted by Long Island P-TECH
