Next-gen engineers
Next-gen engineers meet next-gen manufacturing
Hundreds of East Tennessee students are getting a tasteof additive manufacturing through ORNL’s participationin the FIRST robotics competition, an annual nationwideevent that promotes science and engineering for high school students.Over the course of 10 weeks in the spring semester, students meetwith ORNL engineers and scientists after school and on weekends todesign robots that can meet the challenges of the year’s competition.Students learn the ins and outs of additive manufacturing as theydevelop prototypes and create working components and systems forrobots that are required to perform tasks such as playing basketball.ORNL robotics engineer Lonnie Love, one of the FIRST mentors,says the competition is one way that the lab is preparing the futureworkforce for high-quality jobs in the additive manufacturing field.“We’re exposing the next generation of engineers to the nextgeneration of manufacturing,” he says. “The younger generation isn’tencumbered by what it means to design to manufacture, so theycome up with some very innovative things.”
ORNL became involved with the FIRST robotics competition in2011 by mentoring a team from Knoxville’s Hardin Valley Academy in itsrookie season and helping the students learn how to design, fabricateand test components. Three HVA students later conducted their seniorproject at ORNL with a focus on additive manufacturing, and theirwork resulted in an invention disclosure and interest from multiplerobotics companies in licensing the technology. HVA was selectedas the top rookie team in regionals and was invited to nationals in St.Louis, where they were again named one of the top rookie teams.
In 2012, ORNL expanded its support to eight high schools andopened up a workspace in its new Manufacturing DemonstrationFacility to those interested in learning and using additive manufacturingtechnologies. In addition, ORNL provided financial assistance,encouraging more ORNL research staff to volunteer as mentors andengaging additive manufacturing companies in providing financialsupport and hardware donations. Of the eight participating teams, tworanked in the top five in the regional competition, with Oak Ridge HighSchool winning top rookie team honors and HVA receiving an awardfor engineering excellence.
Love credits Dean Kamen, the founder of FIRST, with giving studentsa reason to get excited about careers in science and engineering.“Dean noticed that high school students were aspiring to beactors and athletes,” Love says. “He wanted to inspire kids to becomescientists and engineers by getting them to work hand in hand withengineers to see what happens when you create something.”—Morgan McCorkle