Milca Mendez- 3D Printing: A Synthesis of Biology and Art

 

Hi Everyone! My research titled 3D Printing: A Synthesis of Biology and Art, is going great and I am accomplishing different goals that I had originally set out for myself! I am still working on mastering Rhino, but I am learning a lot. It is a great and it is an amazing feeling to create something digitally, and then be able to hold it in my hand. The duck that I made when I was first learning Rhino was a success! I also finished printing my first 3D teeth!! These are the teeth I will be using to compare the traditional plaster model and the patient’s teeth to! In order to print a file it needs to go through a series of checkpoints, which can take several hours, especially if you are just learning the software. However, the printing process is relatively fast for quality of the finished product. I am working on printing a clear tray to make something that resembles Invisalign. I did a first batch but the model came out way too thick! Though this was frustrating I started from scratch and will be printing a new trial!

Most of my research I undergo in the digital media classroom and in the office with the 3D printer. However, since the design aspect of things can be done on my computer some days I work from home or at jakes java (where coffee is readily accessible). This is great and provides flexibility, though that also means sometimes I decided to work on things late at night “for fun”. I have accomplished a lot but I also have a lot to do. I am excited for the rest of the summer!

Ps. wish me luck I will be taking my dental admission test next week!

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Amanda Kopil: The City of Reading GIS Intern/DCNR Tree Surveyor

 

I cannot believe it has been two weeks already! There have been so many things that I have learned so quickly within these two weeks. Right away my supervisor started me with a project the moment I walked into the door! Sounds scary right? Well actually, to my surprise as well, I knew exactly what she as expecting of me for this project. Thank you Dr. Mech!!! When I took my GIS course at Albright I was taught the different online sites that offer certain information regarding projects that I might come across. This prior knowledge was key for this project! Everyday or so I have begun new projects and some little tasks here and there to help around the office (administrative work ;)). This is all part of the learning experience though… so I hear!

Reading back to my last blog it is comical how nervous I was to begin this new internship. There really is not much for me to nervous about because I am more prepared then I would have ever imagined! The work environment that I am in is very relaxing and stress-free. This makes for a smooth and steady work day even when everyone else is running around trying to fix problems they still seem to keep their feet on the ground and ask what my plans are for the 4th of July. Maybe I got lucky with the people that I get to work with but it really is great.

As far as the tree surveying goes; it’s going! Walk walk walk walk walk walking (But Hey, I’ll take the exercise)! After my internship I go out and survey trees with my partner. Everything is going very smoothly with that and my partners and I keep in constant contact with progress and weather of course! Well I hope that my next two weeks are as smooth sailing and successful as these last two!

Amy Rader, Madrid, Spain

Hola a todos! Saludos desde España! I have been here almost a week and I am absolutely in love with Madrid, and Spain as a whole! My flight was long and exhausting but it was worth the trip.

I landed in Spain at 8:30am on Friday, and I lost 6 hours. I was picked up by my program director at the airport and taken to a hotel in the direct center of the city in Puerta del Sol. I met a few girls in my program and loved them immediately. There are 12 people in the same program and everyone is great. The first day in the city was a blur of jetlag and amazement. Every building is beautiful. Every street has a ton of little shops to buy tapas or café. And there are people EVERYWHERE. Since I am in the center of the city, many people are tourists. But it is obvious who is and who is local.

The second day in Madrid, I met my host mom. Esperanza is definitely the definition of a hippie Spaniard. Her apartment is incredible and filled with art and all sorts of beautiful things. There is another living here from my program and I am so grateful because we can travel the metro or bus together. She has already been here a month and knows so much! On Saturday, she was away travelling and I left to meet up with other students and got so lost in the city at night. It was terrifying. Sometimes, you just have to suck it up and pay for a taxi. Its better than being the crying American in the middle of the street.

I have realized that I am not as good at Spanish as I want to be. Many people will help you if you ask, but sometimes they seem annoyed to be helping an American. It is common for people to walk into you or bump you and not say sorry.  But for the most part, if you are lost, it is best to ask for help.  The weirdest difference for me is that it is common for people to stare at you in the metro or in the streets and it isn’t considered rude.  It totally makes me feel uncomfortable.

On Monday, we travelled to Toledo. It is the most beautiful place I have every seen in my entire life. We visited the Cathedral and explored the old city. I ate Mazapan for the first time, which is a pastry of bread and honey, that is famous in Toledo.

Today was my first day of class. I still get nervous even though I’m 22 and should be over it by now. It wasn’t bad at all. The teachers all seem nice and helpful, but no one is allowed to speak English at all in the university. Sólo español. I am taking 2 classes in Spanish while I am here. One is grammar and one is language and culture. The classes are very small like at Albright, we even sit in a circle. Profe prepared me for that!

I am having an amazing time so far, but I can’t wait for more adventures to come!

A little bit about my (ALEXIS) ACRE process.

Hi everyone!

It has been a crazy few weeks for me. I have been busy working on a presentation to present at the ACRE luncheon to show the other participants the things I have been working on. I never realized how stressful putting together a small power point show could be, especially when you have loads and loads of information.  

So for those of you who do not know already my project is titled Drama Therapy: A Different Way of Theatre. I do like to remind people that I am not a therapist, I am just learning about the techniques and styles. Since I am doing this project with another student we both choose to take different paths. My path focuses more on two different techniques, Playback Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed. My main research goal is to compare the two, and in the end create a technique that weaves them both together.

Most of the time you will find me researching in the library. I found the library to be a safe place to research because it is quiet, and really screams peaceful environment. Recently I have been looking at many different Internet sources, specifically ones that talk about Theatre of the Oppressed, and Playback Theatre. I have collected so much research so far, and I am off to a great start. I’m at the stage where I am researching the different styles the companies use in depth. I cannot wait to share more with you!!!