Helias Catholic High School is the first school to participate in a program that grants students access to 3-D printers and lasers.
Students got a taste of using the laser technology on Tuesday during an event the school hosted to bolster interest for Invention Scouts, which was founded this year by Boy Scouts of America and is currently only available in Jefferson City, Columbia and California.
Boy Scouts of America has had a lab of printers and lasers for the past couple years, but it was recently opened to boys and girls at the high school and middle school levels to participate in Invention Scouts, said Kelsey Huston, district executive.
The goal is to give students the opportunity to create problem-solving inventions at the lab. The program has been launched locally but is spreading to other Mid-Missouri towns, she said.
A program in Columbia focuses on creating a musical instrument, and the Helias robotics club is interested in building parts, she said.
During the event, a smoky haze poured out of the machine as it burned the Helias emblem into a wood slab in a matter of minutes. It's one of 15 printers and lasers available at the lab in Laurie, about an hour from Jefferson City.
Involved students can print fabric, stitch embroidery, scan 3-D objects to create a digital file for future projects, and use lasers to engrave wood, glass or plastic.
The school has its own 3-D printer that vertically prints a design by melting plastic layer by layer at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but the process takes several hours.
Helias physics teacher Tim Backes said it's an opportunity for creative students involved with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to work on projects outside of regular teacher instruction.
"If they have something they want to make, they can do it," Backes said. "This is a very artistic opportunity as opposed to learning equations and listening to a lecture."
Helias senior Emily Berendzen had never seen a 3-D printer and said it's something she may be interested in using.
She'd like to be a surgical nurse and said it would be amazing if the same technology could be used to make organs. If the program is linked to her aspiring career, she wants to get involved.
"I think everything will evolve to where we'll have to use this kind of technology," Berendzen said. "It's important to know how to do it so we can have a better future."
Huston said Helias's membership will be free for the first year, and after that the cost will be $2 per student each month.