Atlantis Charter School prepares students for 21st century jobs with education in 3D printing

"It's not about making objects, it’s a way of thinking using design process.”

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Via a recent Tweet sent out by TCT Deputy Group Editor Laura Griffiths, we asked what our thousands of readers would like to see in our print coverage next year. Unsurprisingly, education was mentioned more than once. For many of the industry’s leading names, it remains one of the key components in additive’s growth and application. They may take some gratification, then, in the decision of a leading public charter school in Fall River, Massachusetts, to integrate 3D printing into its STEM Academy program to better prepare its students for 21st century jobs.

Atlantis Charter School is an institute funded by the government but independently operated, meaning it has autonomy in setting its curricula. Launching a School-to-Career program in the previous academic year, Atlantis has targeted five areas in which to give 11th and 12th grade pupils a route from education to industry. They include an academy in teaching; music and art; nursing and health and sports medicine; and business and entrepreneurship, in addition to the STEM academy, which calls on the consultancy of MIT. The five career areas were selected after a phase of market research in which the school surveyed professionals in Massachusetts on what skills were most relevant for 21st century skill building.

“The main vision behind the [School-to-Career] program is to connect students to real world career opportunities and create bridges for them via college partnerships, so they could get exposed to college level work and also career work of their choice,” Stephanie Castilla, adjunct instructor for the Design Thinking course at Atlantis Charter School’s STEM academy summed up.

In ninth and tenth grade, pupils part-take in academy rotation which sees them get a flavour for all five classes. Then, they must pick one of the five to study in 11th and 12th grade, where they will build foundational skills in the first year, and revisit them in the second year prior to internships out in the field.

The STEM program attracted a cohort of eight students upon its introduction, with 17 signing up the next year. It will be capped at 20 students as the school moves to a new building, which will boast a classroom specifically designed for the STEM class, consisting of a machine shop and digital 3D printing and technology area. With double the space, Castilla and co are expecting room for growth, moving forward. With MIT and MakerBot technology in-tow, the Atlantis STEM Academy is well-placed to ‘spark the interest’, hoping it carries over to deeper exploration, and perhaps innovation.

In Matt Kressy, a founding director of MIT’s IDM program, the school benefits from an experienced and reputable advisor. Having been a user of 3D printing technology since the 1990s, Kressy was brought into the fold by Michael Lauro, Associate Executive Director at Atlantis, who has connections to the MIT Venture Forum through his own high-tech engineering experience. He reached out to Kressy, and Richard Larson, the lead of another MIT program called BLOSSOMS, as the STEM Academy was launched.

Kressy brings to the table not only a vast amount of experience, but also the ideology that has drove his IDM program at the MIT.

“The value proposition is not about making objects, it’s a way of thinking using design process,” he tells TCT. “And in that design process, it’s important to explore the possibilities. We call that concept generation, and in that phase of creating new products and businesses it’s in that concept generation phase where we can use 3D printing to helps us in those explorations.

“One of the strong philosophies I have, from both being a professional product developer and entrepreneur, is that 3D printing should not be used early in the concept generating process, it should be used more towards the implementation side of things and it is incredibly useful there because you’re testing CAD model geometries and you’re able to really look at things like draft and wall thickness, and you can sort of see where you might have some stress risers. From my perspective, 3D printing is a very powerful tool but to use later on, after the product has been defined very carefully with regards to its desirability to a market or consumer, and growth feasibility issues have been worked through and a business model has been established, then we might go to a more implementation phase with 3D printing.”

It’s input of this kind that helps to steer Atlantis in the right direction. Between the likes of Kressy, Castilla and Lauro, there’s also a level of familiarity, to supplement a mutual respect. Lauro and Kressy have similar backgrounds in design and engineering, while Castilla was a former student of Kressy’s at the Rhode Island School of Art and Design. Castilla says there is a ‘real understanding of what’s required in the field’ which is enabling Atlantis to shepherd its students into STEM careers. It’s followed the lead of a plethora of other education institutes by introducing 3D printing to students, but thanks to a profound team of experienced designers, engineers and technicians, feels its distinguished from the rest.

“There are a lot of programs currently incorporating 3D printing in their curriculum at technical high schools in their area and I think that the connection to MIT sets the tone [for us]. I think it sets us apart in the sense that our goal is to build entrepreneurship skills, build problem solving skills, build empathy, it’s a lot of core 21st century skills that we’re trying to work towards with a huge implementation of these technologies and skill developments but that not being the central focus,” Castilla says. “I think that’s what differentiates us from the other programs that are a little more focused on building the core technical skills. I feel like the connection to MIT is always challenging us and pushing us forward and keeping us focused on that agenda.”

“We try to use technology, including 3D printing, as a way of thinking, a way of perceiving and exploring solutions and problems, as opposed to teaching skills on how to use them where you become more of an operator,” Kressy adds. “We’re trying to create more of a musician than a technician.”

The beneficiaries in the short-term are the students, and perhaps in the long-term will be industrial sectors. Kressy hopes the alumni of the STEM Academy ‘go on to have creative, productive lives that use design process to enable themselves and others, and hopefully improve the world in doing so.’ But the Atlantis program is only the first step of those desired journeys. The first checkpoint will be successfully graduating from the STEM Academy, having mastered a range of design process skills, the ability to think, and gained invaluable experience out in the field.

3D printing equipment available to the STEM Academy students currently includes three MakerBot Replicator Minis and one MakerBot Replicator platform, while they also have access to a fully outfitted machine shop and tool room, inclusive of metal and wood working machines, lathes, milling machines, planers, drill presses, automated cutting tools, and multiple hand and power tools. They are tasked with finding solutions for predetermined user needs. First, the students are exposed to the modelling process, with tutorials carried out with Onshape, a free cloud-based CAD software system. Then, they embark on their first project, which is to design simple functional objects, like cabinet handles, door knobs, and hinges. It enables them to look at actual shapes, and learn about basic manufacturing. Thanks to a local casting facility, Atlantis has been able to get some of the prints cast, which has helped students to understand the entire manufacturing cycle, pricing factors, and the different elements that go into the final design of products. Then, they start to work with more conceptual work. Currently, 11th grade students are participating in a ‘Drink-Think’ challenge, co-sponsored by Onshape and FirstBuild. The challenge, with a grand prize of $2,500, sees the pupils harness their modelling and printing skills to think up, design and test ideas for turning a kitchen sink into a hot and cold drink-making machine.

While projects like the ‘Drink-Think’ challenge require teamwork, all students are assessed individually. The STEM Academy, though attracting students with similar aspirations, consists of a variety of backgrounds and skill ranges – some students being on the autism spectrum, and others considered advanced placement in mathematics and science.

Skill levels may vary, but the technology at their disposal remains the same. In particular, the MakerBot platforms are at once easy-to-use and limited in what they can output, especially when compared to some of the machinery they will come across when on placement in 12th grade. Castilla, though, points out the limitations of the MakerBot machines actually throws up some interesting, and for the most-part enjoyable, challenges for the students. On the occasion a print hasn’t gone to plan, and a giant web of filament is created rather than a functional object, students are forced to take a closer look at their design file and make amendments. Other challenges involve prints not coming out to scale – Castila and her colleagues had students build a cabinet out of wood which would include a drawer and a 3D printed handle – and so the pupils then had to get a better understanding of tolerances and dimensions.

Part of the ideology with many of these tasks is to get the students comfortable with failure, channelling the mantra that every mistake is a lesson learned. The students are assessed on how they overcome challenges and setbacks, and how they persevere until they succeed. Kressy noted he wanted the graduates to live productive lives that improve the world, and from Castilla has seen so far, she thinks they’re on the right track.

“It’s been really fascinating to watch [the students] grow,” she tells TCT, “especially our seniors who are coming back for a second year. We’re seeing so much development in their ability to work autonomously, that’s not something they have much experience with in terms of picking a project direction of their own, setting their own goals, creating timelines for their project and then fulfilling the requirements of those projects. We’ve seen huge growth in that area.

“Also, we’ve seen some engagement from students that were disengaged in other areas of their program, so one student being someone who has struggled tremendously in his previous science and maths classes but has found a real [skill] in being able to turn his ideas into reality. He just loved the ability to create in such an open-ended way but there’s also interesting challenges too. Some of the students are still getting comfortable with failure and also it’s continuing to develop that grit and perseverance so there is a sense that when things do go wrong, the repetition of getting back into the process can be a challenge for some students, so we’re working with them on a daily basis to help them build confidence and to help them build their resilience in light of those things.”

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