Technology Gift Launches New 3D Design Courses for Upward Bound Students

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Shannon Cheatham and Cody Roebke check a 3D design before printing.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — More than 40 high school students from Northwest Arkansas are engaged in 3D design projects on campus as part of the Upward Bound Summer Academy. The classes were made possible through a generous gift from Intralot and Scientific Games.

The companies, both vendors for the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, gifted a total of $40,000 to fund technology purchases for Upward Bound programs across the state of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas Upward Bound Program received $4,000 to purchase a 3D printer and software, which allowed for the creation of a computer drafting and design class and two student research classes.

Upward Bound instructor Ethan Robinson said, "For the computer drafting and design class, I wanted to create a curriculum that gave students a brief overview of the Inventor software, allowing them to discover the possibilities. After they had the basics, I wanted them to rely on their own ambition to create an object they're proud of."

Robinson's approach is a success, as students are dedicated to working independently on the final details of their object designs. Students have become adept at using Inventor, but when they get stumped, Robinson doesn't hesitate to draw out visuals on the board to help them troubleshoot.

Robinson also leads the senior research class, where Shannon Cheatham of Lincoln High School and Cody Roebke of West Fork High School are perfecting their fourth design attempt on a solar-powered cell phone charger. The teammates have concentrated on correcting problems in their previous design iterations.

Cheatham said, "Once we used the 3D printer to turn our design into an actual object, we'd discover that something was too small, too thin, or just flimsy overall, and then we'd go back into Inventor and adjust our design."

Roebke added, "Several of our teammates had previous experience in computer design programs from last year's Upward Bound Summer Academy, and we've enjoyed learning even more during this project."

LaShall Bates, an Upward Bound instructor for more than a decade, is co-teaching the sophomore research class, which is tasked with designing and 3D printing gliders with the longest possible flight range. Bates tied the students' assignment to actual NASA projects involving 3D printers and gliders so that students would have a context for their own work.

Sophomores used the Tinkercad design tool, in which users combine primary shapes to create object designs. Brandon Prado of Huntsville High School said, "We mixed different shapes, and ended up using a lot of triangles in our final glider design."

Mickayla Wilson, also of Huntsville High School, said that her team brainstormed on how to make its glider aerodynamic. "We wanted to make the body of the glider light and slim, and we gave it long wings so it would glide smoothly and go far," said Wilson.

As part of Diversity Affairs, Upward Bound's mission is to identify and support low-income high school students who have the potential to become the first in their families to attend college. The ultimate goal is to increase college access and improve retention and graduation rates for underrepresented students.

Upward Bound pays for classroom instruction, room and board, and provides students with a weekly stipend, as well as supervision and mentorship from a live-in residential staff, made up of college graduates and current college students. 

Students take five classes per day, in core subjects like English, math, and science, but also in electives such as art, ACT prep, and drama. The goal is to give students meaningful, hands-on learning experiences during the summer so that they will have an academic advantage in the upcoming fall semester of high school.

In addition to classes, students participate in a variety of social and recreational programming in the evenings. The Summer Academy has a total enrollment of 132 students, and runs from June 14 to July 18.

Upward Bound is a federally funded TRIO program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The University of Arkansas has three Upward Bound grants, which serve 10 target schools.