Trinity Students Combine Tech Skills with Design Thinking in 3D Printing Workshop

A recent workshop introduced Trinity College’s 3D printing technology to students in a computer science course that emphasizes design thinking.

Located in the Raether Library & Information Technology Center, the 3D printing services are available to the entire Trinity community for both academic and personal use.

“Concept to Prototype: Building Through Iteration,” taught by Executive Director of Career & Life Design Joe Catrino, introduces students to the foundational skills established through producing an initial model of a new product.

“In design thinking, you empathize, you define your problems, you brainstorm, and then you prototype and build stuff to solve those problems,” said Catrino. Understanding the core principles taught in this course, such as empathy, collaboration, and problem-solving, will prepare students for scenarios within the entrepreneurial world, Catrino added. This course is offered through Trinity’s Computer Science Department.

For the course’s midterm assignment, students were asked to develop a 3D prototype of either a cell phone stand or a pen holder using SketchUp software and 3D printers. To teach the students more about the intricacies of 3D printing, David Tatem, head of Digital Learning and Scholarship at Trinity, held an interactive workshop for the class, providing step-by-step instructions on how to operate the software. By the end of the workshop, the students were able to create 3D models of a keychain, personalized with an engraving of their names.

Jade Mellitz ’26, one of the students who attended the workshop, said, “It was a great learning experience in that it gave me another way to translate an idea into a prototype. I am now hooked on 3D printing!”

Tatem added, “The skills of 3D printing and 3D design are incredibly transferable at a liberal arts college. The more you understand making something, you think about design from a different perspective. You interact with the world differently the more you build.”

The Digital Learning and Scholarship team works to further the knowledge of technology across campus and make resources accessible to the Trinity community. This semester, the Digital Learning and Scholarship team is offering a series of workshops to teach digital skills in various programs, such as Canva, SketchUp, Domains, and WordPress.

Later in the semester, the team will hold a 3D Printing and Design Competition, which encourages students to push themselves to learn new skills and think about what they can do with the technology. The competition is open to students of all majors and skill levels. Submissions to the Spring 2024 competition must be received by April 22, and winners will be announced on or about May 6.

The competition focuses more on the effort and the story behind the project rather than the physical product itself. “The most important part of the submission is why you made it, what inspired you, what you learned along the way, and what were the challenges you overcame,” said Tatem. “Even if you think you’re not tech-savvy, it doesn’t matter. You can do it.”

Student Technology Assistant Madigan Tershner-Kolodziejski ’24 said that the competition welcomes creativity. “We want new people to be interested in learning these skills,” she said.

Tershner-Kolodziejski, a computer science major, has been able to incorporate her technology skills into all of her studies at Trinity, such as when she used her prior knowledge of 3D printing in a project for a theater and dance course, “Interactive Media.” She said, “It was a class that explored the way technology was incorporated and how it enhanced digital media. My personal project used a device called ‘Makey Makey’ to trigger a key on the keyboard when a physical item was touched. I 3D printed five different figures about the size of my hand. Each figure was attached to the ‘Makey Makey’ via wire, and when they were touched, each played a different scene and music on the projector. It was amazing to be able to choose my own figures to correspond with their imagery, as well as print with ease at the library.”

The Student Technology Assistant (STA) Program, designed to integrate technological services and resources into the college curriculum, plays a significant role in assisting the community with 3D printing. The STAs are available five days a week, and work with both faculty members and students on a wide range of topics, including virtual reality, digital video and audio production, and various educational website platforms, as well as 3D printing and design. During the recent workshop with the “Concept to Prototype” students, they assisted participants with challenges or questions.

To learn more about 3D printing at Trinity, click here.