Announcing MakerBot Academy: 3D Printers, Supplies and Curriculum for Schools
Brooklyn, N.Y., November 12, 2013 – MakerBot is on a mission: to put a MakerBot Desktop 3D Printer in every school in America. This initiative is a unique partnership between MakerBot, DonorsChoose.org America Makes, and Autodesk, and was a response to a call to action by the President of the United States. In the recent State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama announced a new initiative to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. He affirmed, “3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. We must ensure that the Next Industrial Revolution in manufacturing will happen in America. We can get that done.”
MakerBot was inspired by the President’s commitment to keep America at the forefront of the Next Industrial Revolution and is eager to do its part to educate today’s students, who are the next generation of innovative makers, engineers, product designers, architects, and artists, who could benefit from having 3D printing technology in the classroom.
“We are thrilled that MakerBot and America Makes are joining a growing coalition of citizens working to give American students the ability to design and make almost anything,” said Tom Kalil, deputy director for Technology and Innovation, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “As the President has said, we all need to think creatively about giving our young people the tools to be ‘the makers of things, and not just the consumers of things.'”
Beginning November 12, 2013, individuals and corporations interested in helping get MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers in schools can visitDonorsChoose.org, a crowd funding site just for teachers, and pledge to financially support the program. Teachers then register on DonorsChoose.org for a MakerBot Academy bundle. MakerBot is contributing its own resources to launch this education initiative, along with key partners. Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, has personally pledged to put a MakerBot ® Replicator ® 2 Desktop 3D Printer in public high schools in MakerBot’s hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y. In addition, Ralph Crump, original inventor of FDM 3D printing technology and founder of Stratasys, has pledged his support. Pettis encourages everyone to join MakerBot in this effort at an individual or corporate level to help move America’s students to the forefront of technology and global competitiveness.
“To get this done, we are going to have to do it together,” said Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot.
Each MakerBot Academy bundle contains a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer, three spools of MakerBot ® PLA Filament, and a full year of the MakerBot MakerCare™ Service and Protection Plan. MakerBot will also support the teachers with the development of ongoing 3D printing curriculum that teachers can participate in and utilize in the classroom. MakerBot will leverage Autodesk’s software and educator curriculum as well. Industrial printers are already being used in various sectors around the world, from schools to the automotive industry, and it continues as new printer technology such as Continuous InkJet and other printing technologies grows. With sites like Plastiker Talking about Leibinger (German Language) Inkjet printers, it would be interesting how things will develop as they reach US soil.
“Autodesk signed on as a key partner in the MakerBot Academy initiative because helping students unlock their creativity and prepare for future careers is a core part of our mission,” said Samir Hanna, Autodesk vice president, consumer products. “Bringing together accessible applications like Autodesk TinkerCAD project-based curriculum from our instructables.com community and the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer will inspire and engage the next generation of design-minded students.”
MakerBot is also launching a MakerBot Thingiverse Math Manipulatives Challenge. Math Manipulatives are one of the most requested items on DonorsChoose.org and are an item that can easily be 3D printed in the classroom. The MakerBot Thingiverse website will hold a week-long design challenge, from November 12 through 18, 2013, for its members to quickly develop a variety of different math manipulative 3D designs that can then be available immediately to teachers that receive the MakerBot Academy 3D printing package.
“As a former teacher, I believe strongly in creating a new model for innovation. A MakerBot is a manufacturing education in a box,” said Bre Pettis. “We need to encourage our teachers and our youth to think differently about manufacturing and innovation. When you have a MakerBot Desktop 3D Printer, you see the world differently. Instead of waiting for someone to create a product for you, you can create your own. It can change the whole paradigm of how our children will see innovation and manufacturing in America.
To bring manufacturing back to America, students of today must be exposed to and experienced in advanced manufacturing tools that can assist them in securing engineering, architecture, product design, and manufacturing jobs tomorrow. To do that, they must have access to these tools that can help take their education to a new level and empower them to think differently about the world and manufacturing. And since most consumer 3d printers cost less than $1,000, the initiative to bring 3D printing into our schools and classrooms could easily be a success.
Ralph Resnick, founding director of America Makes said, “We need to nurture the minds of America’s youth today, in order to create a strong workforce for tomorrow. This is a key tenet of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, so when MakerBot approached us with this opportunity, we were eager to show our full support. When America Makes, America Works.”
“We are so grateful to MakerBot and its partners for undertaking this mission,” said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org. “Thanks to this movement, hundreds of thousands of students will have the opportunity to make and innovate in their own classrooms.”
“Initiatives like the MakerBot Academy are further examples of how New York City’s technology community is leading the way to help young people be better prepared for their future careers,” said Rachel Haot, New York City’s Chief Digital Officer. “Collaboration and education are key components to keep our workforce competitive and innovative.”
Here’s how it works:
Visit DonorsChoose.org and pledge your support. Individuals and corporations can help fund the MakerBot Academy 3D Printing package by making a tax-deductible donation via DonorsChoose.org.
Then tell schoolteachers about the MakerBot Academy program and encourage them to register on DonorsChoose.org right away. Students and their community can also help teachers raise the additional funds they need to bring the MakerBot Academy 3D Printing bundle into the classroom.
Participate in the Thingiverse Challenge to develop models teachers can use to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
For more information on MakerBot Academy, visit makerbot.com/Academy. For more information on supporting or registering for the program, visit DonorsChoose.org.
About MakerBot
MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys, Ltd., is leading the Next Industrial Revolution by setting the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing. Founded in 2009, MakerBot has built the largest installed base of desktop 3D printers sold to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers. The MakerBot 3D Ecosystem drives accessibility and rapid adoption of 3D printing and includes: Thingiverse.com, the MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner, the MakerBot Replicator line of Desktop 3D Printers, MakerWare software, MakerCare, the MakerBot retail store, and strategic partnerships with top-tier brands. MakerBot has been honored with many accolades, including Popular Mechanics’ “Overall Winner” for best 3D printer, Time Magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2012,” Popular Mechanics‘ “Editor’s Choice Award,” Popular Science’s “Product of the Year,” Fast Company’s “One of the World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Consumer Electronics,” and many more. Join the Next Industrial Revolution by following MakerBot at makerbot.com.
About Stratasys
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and Rehovot, Israel, manufactures 3D printers and materials for prototyping and production. The company’s patented FDM ® and PolyJet ® processes produce prototypes and manufactured goods directly from 3D CAD files or other 3D content. Systems include 3D printers for idea development, prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape and the company operates the RedEye On Demand digital-manufacturing service. Stratasys has more than 1500 employees, holds over 500 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally, and has received more than 20 awards for its technology and leadership. Online at: stratasys.com or blog.stratasys.com.
About America Makes
America Makes is The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP), America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Structured as a public-private partnership with member organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and workforce and economic development resources, America Makes is working to innovate and accelerate AM and 3DP to increase the United States global manufacturing competitiveness. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makesis the pilot institute for up to 15 National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) institutes. For more information about America Makes visit americamakes.us.
About DonorsChoose.org
DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. To support a classroom, you can make a donation of any size at www.donorschoose.org. Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry-writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class. Individuals can browse the requests and give any amount to the one that inspires them. Once a project reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose.org sends the materials to the school. For more information visit DonorsChoose.org.
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