Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Altadena Public Library Presents Free 3D Printing Workshop for Teens

Beginning Friday, April 1st at 4:00 p.m. at the Main Library. Teens are encouraged to register for Altadena Library’s first free workshop to learn the basics of 3-D printing. Experience is not required. This workshop is designed for beginners, but more advanced users are welcomed as well. Registration begins March 7th and closes March 25th. Attendance on April 1st is mandatory to participate in April 2nd and April 8th workshops. To sign up, call Altadena Library Youth Services Department at (626) 798-0833 ext. 108 or email Carrie Wilson cwilson@altadenalibrary.org. Class sizes are limited to 20 attendees. The workshops are for teens ages 12-19.

At the first workshop, teens will be introduced to 3D printing technology. Altadena Library has just acquired a 5th generation Makerbot and 2 Makerbot minis, and workshop participants will be able to select and print designs from Thingiverse, where 3D designs are shared with the community. Participants will learn to design their own 3D objects with 123D Design, which is a 3D creation and editing tool which suitable for beginners.

This workshop is taught by Evan Hilgemann, who is a recent transplant to Altadena from the Midwest where he was born and raised. He currently works as a mechanical engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where his job relies heavily on 3D printing for prototyping tasks and increasingly spacecraft structural design. Evan is drawn to his field by the inherent sense of exploration and adventure, and he enjoys sharing the thrill of space exploration with the community.

“STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills are vitally important to the future of our teens, which is why I feel so strongly about introducing library programs like 3D printing to the community. We present tough STEM concepts in such an engaging, fun way that encourages teens to further explore these fields not only at school but on their own time. Anyone interested in these topics should also check out our collection – we have tons of amazing books on 3D printing, computer programming and much more!” – ALD Teen Librarian Carrie Wilson

These workshops were made possible through our $30,000 award from the Pitch an Idea grant, which is awarded annually and supported in whole or in part by a California State Library grant supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.”

The Altadena Library is located at 600 East Mariposa Street, Altadena. For more information please call (626) 798-0833. For a schedule of events, visit the library on the web at www.altadenalibrary.org.