3D printing program lauded as model for higher education institutions across the country and abroad

Freedman (center) served as a guest speaker at a Stratasys/MakerBot meeting with Asia/Pacific/Japan partners.
While abroad, Freedman (center) served as a guest speaker at a Stratasys/MakerBot meeting with Asia/Pacific/Japan partners.

Since launching the world’s first MakerBot Innovation Center (MIC) in February 2014, SUNY New Paltz has been the focus of interest by other academic institutions across the nation and the globe looking to replicate the College’s additive manufacturing model.

“The breadth of the institutions that have taken interest in our program is pretty amazing,” said Dan Freedman, dean of the School of Science & Engineering and director of the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center (HVAMC). “It speaks to the broad appeal of 3D printing across all of academia.”

Freedman recently returned from a week-long trip to Hong Kong and the Republic of Korea, where he, along with the MakerBot/Stratasys team, visited several institutions hoping to open MakerBot Innovation Centers of their own. Freedman also served as a guest speaker at a Stratasys/MakerBot meeting with Asia/Pacific/Japan partners.

Freedman (center) with educational leaders at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Freedman (center) with educational leaders at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

From Hong Kong Polytechnic University to universities and high schools in Korea, Freedman met with educational leaders about how best to integrate 3D printing into courses and how the technology could benefit their campuses and surrounding communities and businesses.

This isn’t the first time Freedman has been asked by peer institutions to share New Paltz’s additive manufacturing model. Various highly regarded institutions, including Penn State, RIT, NYIT, UMass Amherst, Florida State, Medgar Evers, Montclair State, Vassar College, among others, have come to New Paltz to tour 3D printing facilities on campus.

About New Paltz’s 3D Printing Initiative
Since launching the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center in spring 2013, the College’s effort to fuse learning and manufacturing, science and the arts has continued to gain momentum. In February 2014, the College partnered with Brooklyn, N.Y.-based MakerBot, the leading manufacturer of desktop 3D printers, to open the world’s first MakerBot Innovation Center at SUNY New Paltz. The 3D Printing Initiative received additional funding in fall 2014, including a $10 million NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant to help establish an Engineering Innovation Hub and $850,000 in capital funding for a new 3D printing laboratory.

The HVAMC provides digital design and fabrication expertise to about 100 businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the region. The Center also engages the local community and educates the public about the possibilities of 3D printing. Workshops and courses for K-12 educators have attracted a wide variety of teachers, from art to science, who have an interest in digital design and fabrication and are utilizing these new technologies in their classrooms.