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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
NSU’s 3-D Printing Lab Holds Open House
Prosthetic hand made in NSU HPD Library’s 3-D Printing Lab
On February 18, 2016, NSU’s Health Professions Division (HPD) Library hosted an open house for its 3-D Printing Lab. Faculty members were invited to see some of the projects completed so far. Attendees also had the opportunity to speak with various student-faculty groups currently working on projects using the technology. The presenters included:
- Daniel Young, D.M.D. candidate, College of Dental Medicine,
- Nikita Jaber, O.D. candidate, College of Optometry,
- Jerry Coverdale, O.T.D., OT/L, CHT, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Care Sciences and a group of his OT students,
- Robert Speth, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, his laboratory manager, Leena Couling and his student, Natalie Builes, Pharm. D. Candidate, and
- Bridger Jensen, D.D.S., Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Resident at Broward Health and Memorial Healthcare System, College of Dental Medicine.
At the event, faculty members and students had the opportunity to see and handle prosthetic hands, skulls modeled after the CT scans of patients with varying pathologies and a number of other projects created in the lab. Presenters discussed how 3-D printing on campus was a quick and inexpensive way to create:
- patient-specific 3-D models that show the condition of damaged structures beneath the skin; physicians can actually see and manipulate a detailed model of the trauma to assist in decision making. Surgeons can also use the model to practice techniques before the actual surgery.
- detailed models useful in classroom demonstrations & academic study,
- equipment customized to better meet laboratory needs (i.e. lightweight durable materials, increased capacity, improved design, low cost, etc.),
- prosthetics for a study on whether wearing 3-D printed prosthetic hands impacts performance in ADLs and IADLs among children and adolescents with congenital or traumatic hand amputations, and
- prosthetic hands to donate to an international community as part of the e-NABLE 1000 Hands project
The lab is involved in a number of ongoing collaborations with students and faculty members from HPD. Due to time and space constraints, all the projects were not able to be featured at the first HPD Library 3-D Printing Open House. At this time, the lab is maintaining a list of proposed projects. Faculty and students are encouraged to submit suggestions for academic themed projects that can be added to the list. Submit your suggestions in person at the HPD 3-D printing lab or email Aaron Sager at asager@nova.edu, John Reynolds at jreynolds@nova.edu, or Melinda Johnson at mjohnson@nova.edu. Opportunities to learn more about the lab and the art of 3-D printing are also available via the same avenues.
Click here to watch a video about the 3-D Printing Lab.