At the 54th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, the challenge tor high school and college students was to solve a real-life medical problem for a veteran who endured a traumatic thumb amputation on his left hand.
As part of the contest, students watched an introductory video to learn about the patient’s disability, assessed his current condition and determined how each could design an adaptive device enabling the veteran to continue using his PlayStation 3 gaming system. The winning devices consisted of 3D-printed parts designed to allow the veteran to comfortably use a PlayStation 3 controller, without his current silicone prosthetic.
This year’s contest included 44 teams representing high schools, colleges/universities and career technical institutions.
The conference, sponsored by SME and Stratasys Ltd, took place in Louisville, Ky and was attended by 18,000 - including students, teachers, and business partners—participated in events at the conference, highlighting the capabilities of career and technical education students in their respective fields.
“The SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition allows students to explore and apply promising emerging additive technologies that are increasingly used in manufacturing operations,” said Jeff Krause, CEO of SME. In addition to the design challenge, students had a chance to take Tooling U-SME’s Additive Manufacturing Fundamentals Certification exam to test their knowledge of additive manufacturing.
The high school team winners of the 2018 SME/Stratasys SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition are:
Gold medal: Getty George and Sam Green, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside, Calif..
Silver medal: Noah Logan and Johnathan Urbani, Stafford Tech Center, Rutland, Vt.
Bronze medal: Andrew Daddone and Layke Martin, Frederick County Career & Tech Center, Frederick, Md.
The college team winners of the 2018 SME/Stratasys SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition are:
Gold medal: Adolfo Vargas and Alexander Kemnitz, Central Community College-Hastings, Hastings, Ne.
Silver medal: Deema AL Namee and Aric Donerkiel, Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, Vt.
Bronze medal: William Swaner and Ashton DeZwarte, Tennessee College of Applied Tech-Nashville, Nashville, Tenn.
