The STEM Center kicked off its Open House on Sept. 7 with refreshments, science-logic-based board games, drawing with 3-D pens, a ‘swag’ giveaway and their newest technological editions on display.
Visitors could grab a bite to eat, test out new advanced microscopes, see 3-D printers up close, and get their own design of choice lasered out through the GlowForge.
Ashley Mone and Lin Chung were two out of 16 student ambassadors for the STEM Center who volunteered for the open house on Thursday. Mone is an international student at Madison College hailing from Burkina Faso, and is the only returning STEM Center student ambassador this year.
As complex as the machinery is, the process of having a design lasered could not be more straightforward. Mone demonstrated the process of placing a slab of acrylic onto the metal grate of the GlowForge, logging into the GlowForge website, uploading a design of her choice, double checking the specifications and hitting submit. The lasers cut a 2 by 2 inch hexagonal shape into the acrylic, with a name tag design delicately ingrained into the hexagon.
The GlowForge works by lasering a design into materials (most commonly used in the workshop is wood and acrylic). Near the GlowForge is the row of 3-D printers. The difference between the GlowForge and the 3-D printers is that layers are added to layers, forming the design you desire in the printers.
Items made by the 3-D printers can be purchased in Madison College’s bookstore. One keychain made by Mone was an intricate lace-like design of the Truax building. STEM Center ambassadors are open to assisting all students who wish to use the GlowForge.
“We had over 90 plus people who signed in–we would say that’s pretty successful for the STEM Center, a lot of folks mix us up, the STEM Center and the Stem academy, so it was nice to just have an event to say ‘Hey, welcome to the STEM Center! Come check out what we do, some of the programs we have, and some of the clubs we oversee ’” said Angela Yang, the senior administrative coordinator for the STEM Center.
“I think the most popular part of the open house was really just being able to participate in the activities and having the hands-on experience. We had the 3-D pens going, learning about the 3-D printers, meeting the stem ambassadors, meeting the staff, seeing the new microscopes.”
The center recently purchased a Zeiss Stereoscope and an Echo Rebel compound (an inverted scope). Microscopes will be available to students during select STEM Center workshops, the GlowForge is open to any Madison College student for use.
The center oversees the STEM Voices (a STEM book club) and the STEM Club. The center also hosts a variety of workshops, seminars and informational sessions. Their upcoming events include two STEM Seminars, featuring Dr. Ken Walz as a presenter and a diverse panelist of different fields in STEM.
Students can drop by the STEM Center to find out more information, or send an email to [email protected] to sign up for their newsletter to learn about upcoming events, programs, and fellowship and internship opportunities.