material that can be heated up and shaped with a heating gun . The final results were wonderful , and the students scanned each other using the app . After the raw file was uploaded , the files were digitally altered and cleaned up using software from Autodesk called Meshmixer . After the students has digitally reconstructed their chess scans , they were uploaded to Tinkercad . There , they resized their pieces , and added a pedestal that Ms . Waibel helped them construct , and we checked the sizes according to World Chess Federation . They were then printed in Colorfabb bronze fill on my Ultimaker 2 Extended + in high resolution . They were then sanded using various grit sandpaper , and rock tumbled to get the optimal glow . Next semester we are printing the other half of the set , which will be done in stainless steel filament from a company called ProtoPasta . We will also be working on designing a chess board to go with the set .
There are many new techniques and technologies that I am also working on , but the ones discussed earlier are just a few of the many exciting things my students and myself are investigating this coming year using design thinking and STEAM together . It has been fantastic and wonderful to do things that no one thought possible a few years ago . Now , technology has grown to create a maker space with a purpose in my classroom , where students and teacher alike can grow and learn together .
Christopher Sweeney is a 1996 graduate of University of the Art ’ s Philadelphia College of Art and Design with a B . F . A . in Fine Arts / Painting and Drawing , and recently received his M . A ., also from the University of the Arts , in 2012 . While enrolled at the University of the Arts in undergraduate studies , Mr . Sweeney majored in painting / drawing and held a minor in art education . Mr . Sweeney was also the recipient of several awards while attending University of the Arts including the Ernest W . Greenfield Annual Award in Painting , the Peter J . McCahill Memorial Award in Art Education , and finalist for the Rohm and Haas Fine Arts
Award , all of which were awarded in 1996 . He was also awarded the prestigious position of giving the Student Address at the 1996 commencement . He most recently received the 2016 Pennsylvania Art Education Association Outstanding Secondary Art Educator of the Year , as well as becoming a 2016 Ultimaker 3D Printers ’ Pioneer Program Fellow . Most recently he also has become a MakeyMakey Ambassador for the JoyLabz , which make MakeyMakeys , Drawdios , and MakeyMakey Go ’ s for the educational community .
STEAMed Magazine
49
January 2017 Edition