3D Printing, now at Bay Shore Campus Library

Setting up our new 3D Printer in the library!

The librarians at the Bay Shore campus are pleased to announce that we now have a 3D Printer. We applied for and have been awarded a ‘Medical Library Project’ grant through the MidAtlantic Region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM MAR) to provide the funds for the printer and its materials. 

Our new 3D Printer in action

We hope the 3D printer will increase collaboration between librarians and faculty in the School of Health Sciences and allow our students the chance to explore the use of this new technology to improve patient care. I learned more about the many exciting potential uses of 3D printed objects during my visit to the Inside 3D Printing Conference over the summer. 3D printing can be used to create medical tools, assistive devices, and even body parts!   

This fleur-de-lis is was a test object, but our health sciences students will be printing objects to help treat their patients.

Our pilot program for the device incorporated 3D printing projects into courses for both Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) Graduate level students during the Fall 2015 semester. If the pilot project is successful, we intend to expand this collaboration to other faculty members within the School of Health Sciences and eventually incorporate 3D printing into courses at additional campuses. We plan to share our experiences along the way, both the successes and challenges, so stay tuned for updates!