Melican Middle School Students Design in 3D

NORTHBOROUGH --- 7th grade students at Melican Middle School had the opportunity to develop their scientific modeling skills, recently, thanks to a grant from the Northborough Education Foundation (NEF).

The grant funded special 3D printing pens, called 3Doodlers, which the students used to create a three-dimensional prototype of a scientific concept. The 3Doodlers look like a pen, but work by melting a slim plastic stick, which melts and can be formed into different shapes.

NEF awarded the grant of $3,185 to Jessica Eisenlord and Danielle Leboeuf, science teachers at Melican Middle School, this past September. With the funds, the teachers were able to purchase 24 3Doodler kits, which include the pen, power source, different tips and tools and a supply of plastic sticks in a variety of colors.

The grant has allowed students to take their 1-dimensional ideas and sketches and bring them to life, creating 3D objects. "The 3doodlers let our students literally create objects and bring their ideas from an idea or picture into something they can hold,” said the teachers. “There is nothing else available to our students that lets them experience the design process this way within the confines of their school day. It is powerful to be able to offer this experience to all our 7th graders.”

Students were given the option to choose any concept from their 6th or 7th grade science classes that they felt could be translated into a three-dimensional prototype. Before working with the 3Doodlers, students created sketches of their designs.

Taylor Mayo created a wall and a balloon to demonstrate that opposite charges attract. “I liked that we were learning about science while we were experimenting,” she said. “I liked that instead of looking at a model on a screen, it was right in front of you and you could touch it. The 3Doodlers were easy and fun to use.”

Alyssa Sbordone created a roller coaster with the 3Doodler. “I liked everything about 3Doodlers,” she said, “but mainly because it was hands on. It taught me how to bring my design to life and inspired me to be more creative. It was easy to get the hang of and fun to work with. I liked seeing the end product.”

Leboeuf and Eisenlord were pleased with the students’ work and creativity during this project. “Students were highly engaged and we were quite impressed by their interpretation of new information as well as their ability to recall detail from prior knowledge.”

The project tied in nicely to the Massachusetts Science Curriculum Framework which places an emphasis on active student engagement in science and require that students develop and use models of different phenomena and evaluate different design solutions.

The teachers and students look forward to using the pens again later this year while studying a unit on Ecology.

The Northborough Education Foundation (NEF) is a volunteer-run organization that provides Northborough teachers and administrators with the resources necessary to improve curriculum, programs and services beyond the level supported by the annual school budget. Through a variety of fundraising initiatives, NEF helps finance the costs of extraordinary curriculum and staff development projects, student services and activities, special programs, equipment purchases and other efforts in order to foster creativity and nurture and develop a bright and enthusiastic generation of learners. For calendar year 2018, NEF has the generous support of platinum sponsor, Sullivan-Kreiss Financial.

NEF is a tax exempt charitable organization under 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. All qualifying donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. All donations can be mailed to Northborough Education Foundation, PO Box 1094, Northborough, MA 01532. For questions about NEF or how a business can become a sponsor, please visit www.northboroughed.org.