The Owensboro Innovation Academy engineering program got creative this year, finding a way to simultaneously learn new skills while saving the district money on classroom materials.
Knowing her students couldn’t share the materials like in years past, Engineering Facilitator Stephanie Gray thought outside the box on how to find enough supplies without spending the extra money.
Gray, with the help of students in the engineering program, used OIA’ 3D printers to make their own supply kits of blocks and shapes used for regular CAD modeling assignments.
“Because of the kids being at home, every kid needed their own kit,” Gray said. “Instead of spending $1,750 on 70 kits, we just 3D printed all the stuff and sent them home with the kids. That way, they’re still able to do some hands-on stuff without being in the building.””
OIA teaches students about drafting, plotting, 3D printing, programming, robotics and more.
The engineering program has also saved the district money with other learning projects as well. They helped cut plexiglass — and 3D printed holders for the plexiglass — to distribute across the district, saving thousands of dollars in the process.
Gray credited the programs ability to take on such projects to the grants received in recent years — all of which went into helping create the Maker Space that houses the 3D printers and other equipment for the engineering program.
The received more than $90,000 total in 2018 grants from the DART Foundation and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, while Southern Star has been an ongoing financial supporter.
