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3D Printing Camp Preparing Future Workforce

Great news for the Robert C. Byrd Institute, which was recently awarded a scholarship to hold 3D printing camps for middle school students this summer. This is the second consecutive year RCBI will hold its high-in-demand camp, which had two sessions last year. The camps will be open to students in the tri-state region of Huntington, West Virginia, as well as Kentucky, and Ohio.

The institute’s director and CEO, Charlotte Weber, said: “Few students are aware of the exciting opportunities that are available in their own backyards, and RCBI and its partners have developed a camp program that offers a number of engaging, interactive and educational experiences.”

Robert C. Byrd Institute 3D PrintingThe grant was awarded by Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, an education foundation that creates pathways for students interested in manufacturing and engineering careers. Every year the foundation awards grants to organizations that offer technology education camps. President and CEO of NBT, Edward Youdell regards this outreach as “an investment in the manufacturing workforce.” He also says, “Introducing youth to well-paying, high-tech manufacturing careers will definitely improve future prospects for our economy.” With heightened talk about how 3D printing is setting off the next industrial revolution, he may be right.

So much can come out of these early-exposure technology campaigns when allied with the right goals and concerns. Listed partners include Marshall’s Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences and Marshall’s June Harless Center for Rural Educational Research and Development. Crossing our fingers that this becomes the first industrial revolution to save the planet through wide application of ingenious natural resource-saving technologies.

Source: RCBI