SUNY New Paltz hosted the 21st Century Children’s Nonfiction Writers Conference from June 20-22. The conference, made up of faculty and publishing professionals representing a variety of companies as well as professional writers, illustrators and educators, included a focus on 3D printing technology.
On hand for the event were Dan Freedman, dean of the School of Science and Engineering, and Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center staff, who gave a live demonstration of 3D printing technology and its possibilities for revolutionizing the consumer market.
“The Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center staff was happy to participate in the 21st Century Children’s Nonfiction Writers Conference by demonstrating 3D scanning and printing,” said Freedman. “One of the goals of the Center is to help business to find new and innovative uses of 3D printing and there were some obvious connections between what can be done with 3D printing and the types of educational materials being discussed at this conference.”
About the 3D Printing Initiative at SUNY New Paltz
SUNY New Paltz’s 3D Printing Initiative integrates the College’s strengths in engineering, computer science, technology, and the innovation and creativity of the arts. The organizational home of this effort is the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center at SUNY New Paltz. Launched in May 2013, the Center brings state-of-the-art 3D printing equipment to the region and a curriculum in Digital Design and Fabrication, giving rise to powerful forces—art and technology, creativity and ingenuity.
Additional elements of the initiative include: active recruitment of 3D printing enterprises, with access to venture capital funds and potential for participation in the Governor’s Start-Up NY tax incentive program; and a network of equipment access and collaborative educational programming at Hudson Valley community colleges and select high schools to expand 3D printing capability in the region.
In December 2013, the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council and Governor Andrew Cuomo awarded the initiative $1M in state economic development funds. And in February 2014, the College partnered with Brooklyn, N.Y. – based MakerBot, the leading manufacturer of desktop 3D printers, to open the nation’s first MakerBot Innovation Center at SUNY New Paltz.
