Project

The rapid expansion of low-cost additive manufacturing (AM, or 3D printing) systems has been one of the key catalysts in the democratization and popularization of the maker movement. This movement is typified by the desire to learn through hands-on design and fabrication experience, which maintains a primacy on sharing, connecting and do-it-yourself tinkering that often takes place in makerspaces. These informal learning environments have inspired an interdisciplinary team of art and engineering faculty and graduate students from the Pennsylvania State University at University Park, who began working on a project called M.A.K.E. 3D (Mobile Atelier for Kinesthetic Education, 3D).

M.A.K.E. 3D (NSF award #1623494) is a deployable makerspaces exploring interdisciplinary making and 3D printing technologies. Our interdisciplinary approach to design thinking and material science incorporates a comprehensive spectrum of concepts that we call the “Material to Form” curriculum. The curriculum is structured as six modules that include: Designing Form, Modeling Form, Capturing Form, Extrusion, Work Flow, Filament Variety, and the Display Gallery. The Material to Form curriculum and facilities were co-constructed symbiotically to maximize informal learning in making.

Both the Material to Form curriculum and the physical makerspace emphasize modularity and allow for learners to engage with concepts from multiple entry points. This flexibility of engagement is central to the M.A.K.E. 3D project as an informal learning environment emphasizing mobility. This adaptability was an important aspect of the project throughout its deployment across four Penn State commonwealth campuses. These campuses included: Penn State Abington, Penn State Mont Alto, Penn state Greater Allegheny, and Penn State New Kensington.

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Over the course of these visits, students engaged in hands-on learning in both assumed and unexpected ways.

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