| While learning chemistry concepts can already be a daunting task for students, preparing teaching materials that will convey the desired message can be just as challenging. Dr. Edwin Carasquillo was having this very problem while trying to teach ‘Potential Energy Sources’ to his students. Armed with a 2D illustration in hand, he discovered his students were having a difficult time understanding the concept. To fix this, he sought the help the Virtual Technology Center (VTC) and asked them to build a 3-dimensional representation of the concepts he was teaching in class.
 After a brief discussion with the staff, Dr. Carasquillo handed them the same illustration he used in class, hoping they could develop a working model from the diagram. Using Autodesk’s Maya software to render the 3D model, the VTC was able to take this flat drawing and give it depth and tangibility. A Dimension SST 3D printer was used to make a high-quality plastic model, and in a few hours, Professor Carasquillo was given a completed model representing ‘Potential Energy Surface’ to present to his class.
Recognizing his students’ difficulties with his course material, Dr. Carasquillo sought new ways to help them visually understand the concepts he teaches. Now, rather than just telling them how ‘Potential Energy Surfaces’ work, he can show them with the help of his new 3D model. Professor Carasquillo hopes to use the SST printer in the future to develop more representations of chemistry-related concepts.
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