- 3D Systems, The Coca-Cola Company and will.i.am partner to provide more than 1,500 EKOCYCLETM Cube® 3D printers to FIRST® Robotics and Tech Challenge teams
- Enables U.S. Department of Education and SME's M.Lab 21 shop class "make over" with its 3D printing technology
- Partners with The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows to bring 3D printing into K-8 education
3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) today announced several key partnership commitments that extends its Make.Digital initiative to democratize digital craftsmanship at the first-ever White House Maker Faire. Hosted by President Obama, the White House Maker Faire will bring together students, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens who are using digital fabrication tools to launch new businesses, learn vital skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and fuel the renaissance in American manufacturing.
Through its Make.Digital initiative, 3DS is making several commitments to support the White House Maker Faire and its mission to provide more Americans with access to STEM learning tools and curriculum:
3DS, The Coca-Cola Company, and will.i.am are announcing a partnership to provide more than 1,500 EKOCYCLETM Cube® 3D printers to FIRST®. The donation is valued at more than $1.5 million and is part of a drive to provide FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge teams – which include more than 125,000 students in middle schools and high schools across the U.S. – with access to an EKOCYCLE Cube 3D printer using post-consumer recycled plastic in its printer cartridges. will.i.am, award-winning music artist, entrepreneur, 3DS Chief Creative Officer and EKOCYCLE co-founder, and Avi Reichental, President and CEO, 3DS, will attend the White House Maker Faire to announce the commitment to FIRST and to showcase the innovations of the Hardin Valley Academy FIRST RoHAWKtics Team 3824, who created a fully 3D printed robot, "The Big Ball Shooter". Link here to a video on this commitment to FIRST.
3DS is working in collaboration with The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows, serving at the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and NASA, to design new curriculum and tools for teachers to bring 3D printing into K-8 education, turning classrooms into a mini-Maker laboratory while aligning with latest from the Next Generation Science Standards. Fifteen master teachers are developing Making curriculum to support the new science standards with hands-on, project-based learning.
3DS is supporting the U.S. Department of Education's "Career and Technical Education Make Over Challenge" across community colleges and high schools around the country to bring shop class into the 21st century. In partnership with the SME 3DS will kick off the drive to install M.Lab21 "starter kits" at more than 200 high schools across the country, providing access to the latest 3D scanning, design, and manufacturing tools and an online curriculum portal for teachers and other industry partners.
"We are proud to stand with White House and the Maker Movement to help revitalize American manufacturing through entrepreneurship, innovation and democratized access to new tools and learning," said Avi Reichental, President and CEO, 3DS. "The commitments we are announcing today through our Make.Digital partnerships are about democratizing access to essential 21st century digital fabrication tools that are designed to relocalize manufacturing in a distributed hyper local fashion powered by digital literacy."
3DS invites all makers, inventors and manufacturers to join in the White House Day of Making celebration on June 18 and share creations and connect with other makers through the White House's #NationOfMakers. For more information on the event, visit www.whitehouse.gov/maker-faire. The event is also scheduled to be on live stream starting at 10:00 a.m. EDT at www.whitehouse.gov/live.
Teachers, educators, non-profits and organizations passionate about youth education can also join 3DS' MAKE.DIGITAL initiative and provide students with tomorrow's skills today.
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