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SALISBURY,MD---Robotics students at ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ have a lot to look forward to when they head back to campus this fall. The Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC) has donated a professional 3-D printer that will allow students to turn 3-D CAD files into functional, durable 3-D objects such as Arduino-driven, 3-D printed robots; small four- wheeled robots; and even electronic tools.

“Training students to use next-generation technology like this reductive 3-D printer is absolutely critical to develop the STEM workforce of the 21st century,” said Dr. Michael Scott, dean of SU's Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology. “This donation will immediately allow us to meet that demand.”

The printer will be housed in the University’s Robotics Lab and will be free to students enrolled in robotics courses and all Computer Science students working on research projects. It also will be available to other SU students who pay for materials. Dr. Giulia Franchi, who teaches robotics and supervises the VexU Robotics Club, also will use the printer for the Vex Competition, an agriculture robotics project and research on drones.

“Our mission is to support and advance entrepreneurship in eastern Maryland, and it starts right here with these University students and their faculty,” said Mike Thielke, executive director of ESEC. “We are excited to see what they are able to produce with this highly sophisticated piece of equipment.”

About ESEC:

The Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created in 2004 to help advance an entrepreneurship ecosystem on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. ESEC’s initiatives include the Chesapeake Agricultural Innovation Center (CAIC), CyberAg Symposium, F3 Tech, and hot Desks co-working. The programs encourage the organic development of high-growth, innovative, and scalable businesses and the jobs they create, with an emphasis on the region’s traditional industries of agriculture and seafood.