On July 5 and 6, Bellevue College’s RISE Learning Institute hosted a two-day workshop and makerspace focused on elements of 3D design. It was part of their Makers and Scholars Summer Experience program, which is scheduled to run from June 28 through July 27, with each week focusing on a different hands-on topic.
Johana Martinez / The Watchdog
At the workshop, attendees had two options to choose from: A chance to experiment with Bellevue College’s CNC machine or working with a silhouette machine to create 3D shapes.
The CNC workshop was presented by Gian Lazzarini, a RISE associate, where he gave a demo of Bellevue College’s CNC machine the first day. Attendees learned how to use the online software which is paired with the machine in order to create something. On the second day, students sent their design to the machine, which could produce a finished product in a matter of minutes. In that sense, a CNC machine is much more time-efficient compared to additive 3D printers which can take hours.
Jono Vaughn, a member of Bellevue College faculty, led the silhouette workshop where students designed their own paper by creating geometric designs which were then silkscreen printed onto a sheet of paper. Once they had a successful design, the paper was fed through a silhouette machine which precisely cut the shape needed in order to build a 3-dimensional object.
The Scholars and Makers Summer Experience goes along with RISE’s core educational values. RISE’s Interim Vice President Dr. Gita Bangera, explained that “it is all about learning by doing. More and more research shows that hands-on learning helps all students but it specifically engages students who are generally underrepresented in higher education.”
RISE is continuing to expand on the idea of bringing the classroom into the real world with upcoming service learning courses. RISE Associate Director Sapan Parekh said that “students learn really well when they’re having to interact with partners on real-world issues, either on-campus or off-campus.” These service learning courses which are planned to launch this fall quarter will take classroom topics and integrate community service opportunities into them.
RISE Director Michael Reese explained that “employers want students who can work together in teams, are self-motivated, who can communicate their ideas effectively in writing and in speech. These are the things that they say first, and these are the kind of things we’re trying to build into BC student’s experience.”
RISE will be getting their own space on campus which is planned to be completed this fall quarter, where they will be able to generate more opportunities for applied research and creation.