Grand Opening Slated for ESU’s G3 Design Lab Next Month

Posted by: admin on March 28, 2014, No Comments

The grand opening of the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania’s G3Design Lab is slated for Wednesday, April 16. Studio G3 in ESU’s Fine Arts Center has been transformed with state-of-the-art equipment, such as 3D printers, 3D scanners, CNC laser cutter and milling machines, which have been installed along with computers loaded with 3D modeling and design software. Pictured, starting at 12 o’clock, are: Jonathan Outridge, a sophomore from Brodheadsville, Pa., majoring in art and design; Josh Schatzman, a sophomore from Folsom, Pa., majoring in fine arts; Annastasia Porpora, a sophomore from Westminster, Mass., majoring in exercise science; Xi Chen, a visiting art and design scholar from Shanghai Normal University Shanghai, China; and Gabrielle Coleman, a junior from Bethlehem, Pa., majoring in art and design.

The Art Department at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania will host the grand opening of G3Design Lab, a 3D printing, design and fabrication facility, on Wednesday, April 16, beginning at 4 p.m. in the Fine and Performing Arts Center. Refreshments will be available in the lobby of the Fine Arts Center from 4 to 4:30 p.m. The program will commence in the Cecilia S. Cohen Recital Hall at 4:30 p.m. and conclude with a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of classroom G3 at 5:40 p.m. Tours of the facility will follow the ribbon cutting with students available to answer questions and demonstrate the lab equipment. The Madelon Powers Gallery will be open where the Student Art Association Art Exhibit will be on view.

The rise of affordable, rapid prototyping has created a growing awareness and demand for a workforce that is not only trained in the techniques of this new technology, but for creative designers who can develop innovative products and solutions for a variety of industries and entrepreneurial activities. Studio G3 in the Fine Arts Center has been transformed with state-of-the-art equipment, such as 3D printers, 3D scanners, CNC laser cutter and milling machines, which have been installed along with computers loaded with 3D modeling and design software. Their use has been integrated into some of the art department’s course offerings with an eye toward development of a product and object design concentration. 

ESU president Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., a strong supporter of the lab’s creation, will provide opening remarks to kick off the event. Her remarks will be followed by words from Mary Frances Postupack, vice president for research and economic development, a driving force behind the project, and Joni Oye-Benintende, chair and associate professor of art. Darlene Farris-LaBar, ESU associate professor of art, will make a presentation showing how the lab and 3D design are integrated into the curriculum.

Jan Baum, executive director of 3D Maryland, which is a state-wide leadership initiative to advance the engagement of 3D printing and additive manufacturing among business, industry, and entrepreneurs in the state of Maryland, and an art professor at Towson University where she initiated and built a digital design and fabrication lab. The featured speaker is Doug Bucci, a designer, educator, technologist and entrepreneur who uses CAD to create work inspired by biological systems. His work is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Design in New York City and has been exhibited in museums around the world, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the National Gallery of Australia, as well as included in numerous private collections.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Oye-Benintende at jbenintende@esu.edu or 570-422-3216.