By Bridget Babington, Loyola ’29, LNDL Marketing Student Worker

After attending the Makerspaces for Innovation and Research in Academics (MIRA) virtual conference this past summer, Youlanda Halterman, Digital Technology Web Supervisor at LNDL, returned to campus eager to implement new concepts. She was joined by Clara Love, Technology Resources Assistant, and Jaquan Bazil, Technology Support Coordinator, both just as enthusiastic about bringing the new concepts to life.  

She said the most notable session she attended was a 3D printing and philosophy session presented by Make Philosophy, a one-stop repository providing accessible designs and lesson plans for learners. The session showcased how to use 3D printing as a helpful resource while teaching philosophical concepts. 

“It was very intriguing and so certainly I had taken note, it’s not typical to be able to incorporate this technology and many never think to utilize the two resources together, so this was an opportunity to get people to really think,” Youlanda mentioned.  

“A month later [Meghan Page, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Maryland] came in interested in 3D printing and further shared she was with the philosophy department, and it all fell into place.” 

From there, the two began brainstorming sample concepts provided courtesy of Make Philosophy. Youlanda printed out one of each potential philosophical scenario such as The Famous Violinist, The Experience Machine, and The Ship of Theseus. They all came out well, but for Meghan, her syllabus was already set, and she found the Ship of Theseus to be, “an easy way to incorporate [3D printing] into the class.” 

The Ship of Theseus follows a Greek hero, Theseus, on his centuries of sailing at sea. One by one, as each piece of the ship would get worn out, it would be replaced. This went on until every original piece of the ship had been replaced with a new piece. Considering that all the old pieces removed from the ship were collected to build another ship, the question arises: which ship would be considered the original ship of Theseus?  

Meghan summarized this experiment as,” [a way] to help understand how we think about identity of objects, including how we think about people’s identity over time.”  

For Youlanda, it took at least 3 full days of printing to produce the 6 ships.  

“We ended up pulling out extra printers in reserve, so we were able to continue to provide our newer printers out on the floor as a resource to students,” Youlanda explained.  

Each piece of the ship was printed twice in different colors for swapping out during the activity. This allowed the original and replaced pieces to be easily differentiated.  

Meghan started by showing the class a video with graphics to help break down the process in deeper detail and foster the students’ outlook on the puzzle. She then had them document their thoughts based solely on the video.  

Each table received a 3D printed ship and was assigned to pass it around, each taking off and replacing one part. By the end, they were left with a ship in a different color than the start, symbolizing the parts not being that of the original. The students then wrote a reflection on their findings, noting if their stance changed after the interactive activity.  

“Probably half the class said [the activity] didn’t change their response, but for many, doing it hands-on made them understand the thought of the experiment more,” Meghan added. 

While the 3D printing served as a great resource to the students, Meghan brings up potential bias that people could perceive the 3D printing as having on the influence of the experiment. 

“It’s good because it helps you identify ‘what’s the original and what’s the old?’ but at the same time, it influences your thoughts by seeing that we started with one color and now that color is across the table.” 

She cracks it up to be, “creative liberty,” and it is beneficial regardless, as utilizing the physical copies helps trigger your brain to think of the concept differently than one would have by simply imagining it. 

The successful turnout has prompted discussion on possible new collaboration ideas in the upcoming future. 

Meghan noted that she has been using the other sample 3D concepts as visuals for her class. She has welcomed her colleagues in the Philosophy department to use the 3D models for their lessons as well. Meghan looks forward to the summer, as it will give her time to plan lessons and the syllabus while giving Youlanda ample time to print the related models.  

Youlanda shared, “I am always trying to promote and encourage a step further… and I look forward to her enthusiasm for using this technology at whatever level she determines is right for her class”. 

Learn more about LNDL’s 3D printing services and all the technology available in the Innovation Station.