Marietta High School STEM teacher Erin Hansen has been awarded a MakerBot Gives
Back grant.
MakerBot, a leading brand for 3D printers particularly focused on education, provides
user-friendly hardware, software, and comprehensive learning resources for classrooms
and STEM programs.
In this grant cycle, MakerBot awarded more than $100,000 in 3D printing grants. The
MakerBot grant program was created to support educators and schools that are working
to bring hands-on learning into classrooms. Thirty grants were awarded, each valued at
over $4,000 each. The grants provided educators with full MakerBot Sketch Spring 3D
printing bundles.
As the AOPA Aeronautics and Robotics teacher for Marietta High School, Hansen plans
to use the MakerBot 3D printer as a prototyping hub. In aeronautics, students will
design and print scale airfoil models and test them in wind tunnels to measure the
amount of lift generated by the airfoil.
A dedicated “Print for Purpose” workstation will host before-school open labs, allowing
students the time to design and print drone blade guards or propellers. All files will be
archived, creating a district STEM repository.
“The goal is that by spring, seniors will leave with a portfolio of 3D printed objects and
the knowledge of moving from sketch to physical model,” explained Hansen.
A large segment of Hansen’s classes are ELL and special needs students. Turning her
classroom into a project-based learning center will benefit their unique learning styles.
“This MakerBot turns my classroom into an imagination station,” said Hansen. “It turns
‘What if?’ into ‘Watch me make!’ and proves that the next great engineer is already
sitting in my classroom.”