While other students might have spent last summer relaxing, junior Jack Turley and seniors Jonathan and Douglas Palumbo traveled to Syracuse University to attend an engineering program called MakerSpace. During the program they built 3D printers, printed vinyl stickers and gained insight into the college life of an aspiring engineer.
Engineering Beginnings
The Palumbo brothers first became interested in engineering two years ago.
“On a whim, we took some course on biomedical engineering because our mom’s a doctor and we like engineering and science,” Douglas said. “We learned about a ton of things, [like] problem solving, prosthetic limbs, MRIs, CAT scans and 3D printing.”
Although Jack heard about the camp from the Palumbos, his interest in 3D printing started before the camp.
“I’ve been interested in 3D printing for a while, because when you look online and see some of the stuff that’s printed…it’s just really amazing,” Jack said.
MakerSpace and 3D Printing
The boys were joined by curious young engineers from around the world. In their camp group alone, there were students from China, Taiwan and Chicago. The students were put in pairs and spent most of the first week building their printers.
“We pretty much built a 3D printer from scratch,” Jonathan said. “We looked at all the parts and how those worked, and we also learned to use different programs and tools to 3D model. We also used other programs including a vinyl cutter which makes stickers.”
The camp had myriad 3D printers of its own that were not student-made.
“I loved looking at all the 3D printers because they had so many different types. They had MakerBots, Mojo printers, weird gel ones, Gigabots. They had so many types. It was really neat,” Jonathan said.
MakerSpace instructor John Mangicaro encouraged the students to take initiative on their independent projects. He taught them the background information and skills needed to create a variety of items.
“Every two days [Mangicaro] would teach you a new tool, and for those two days you just do whatever you want with that tool,” Jack said. “[Mangicaro said], ‘Just build something. I don’t care what you build, show me what it is.’”
Although the boys had plenty of time to have fun, there were still arduous tasks to be completed.
“Mostly the challenges were physical, not mental. With my fat fingers I couldn’t get any of the very small screws on because you’d have to get your hand in a very small place and then tighten something that doesn’t want to be tightened every once in awhile,” Jack said.
Despite these challenges, the young engineers had an engaging and meaningful experience.
“Overall I think it was pretty incredible. My favorite part was just the environment. It was really great; the teachers were friendly, the community was great, Wi-Fi everywhere [and there was] terrific food,” Douglas said.
College Life
While the classes were structured, the camp also allowed for a lot of leisure time, when the boys could explore the campus and relax.
“I liked the freedom, where you can just move around the campus as you please. If you want to be productive, you can be productive, and around the campus there’s so much to do,” Jack said.
The program was set up to resemble college life with classes ending around 3 p.m. The boys had full access to the dining hall, recreational centers and dorms.
“It’s like you’re in college for those two weeks,” Douglas said.
The Future
The three boys have different plans for the future, but they plan to keep engineering a part of their lives.
“Jonathan and I are a part of computer graphics, [and] we’re definitely continuing [engineering] through STEM engineering,” Douglas said. “At least I’ll keep it as a side hobby.”
Beth Palumbo, Jonathan and Douglas’s mother, was glad to see her sons gain a meaningful experience that would prepare them for the future.
“These experiences introduced [the three boys] to new technologies that are being used to solve real world problems in engineering and medicine,” Beth said.