by Carly Dick
The Paducah Sun
September 19, 2024
Used with permission.
The Paducah Innovation Hub is continuously expanding its reach to provide students all over west Kentucky with the opportunity to learn hands-on skills in STEM fields in hopes of sparking their interest in something that could become a full-time career.
By providing access to 3D printers, computer technology labs, welding and electrical tools, and other technology, students have the ability to explore career fields that are not taught in general education.
Paducah Innovation Hub Makerspace Director Tim Franklin said the hub is a resource for students to discover skills they are passionate about through trial and error.
“They might discover there’s pieces that they don’t enjoy, but that’s progress. If they figure out what they don’t like doing, they don’t have to spend maybe a whole year in school figuring that out,” Franklin said.
The hub takes students through “exploration activities,” where they learn the basics of each field they may be interested in.
Schools bring students ranging from kindergarteners to seniors in high school. Franklin said the earlier a student starts learning the technologies the hub offers, the sooner they can find one to pursue.
“It’s really helping our students figure out their career path before they invest a lot of time into studying one particular thing so they’re able to have access to what careers offer, the type of work they do, the type of living they can make through careers by doing our programs during the day and after school,” Franklin explained.
One Crittenden County High School freshman, Caden Penn, started taking classes at the Innovation Hub in seventh grade, which helped him discover his passion for 3D printing.
Crittenden County Middle School had one printer at the time, and it became part of Penn’s grade in a technology class he took to keep the 3D printer up and running.
“In eighth grade, I was given the chance to work with 3D printers, and Mr. Geary gave me the full priority over that,” Penn said.
Once he started honing his 3D printing skills, he got his own printer.
“Now I have two of the same ones that run almost 24/7 and require constant maintenance,” he said.
Since acquiring his personal printers, he has made various items for the school and teachers.
“I stumbled upon these 3D printable light switches, and I made my own for my room at home,” Penn said. “I decided to try them out at school, and Mrs. Denise saw them in Mr. Geary’s room, and then that all started a thing. Ben 3D is the creator of these switches.”
Franklin said Penn often brings items he has 3D printed to the Innovation Hub when he visits.
“He stays in touch with us with new ideas or troubles that he’s encountered with 3D printing, but he has made gifts for us. Each time he returns, he brings us things that he’s made,” he said.
Penn also makes keychains that he sells to other students and community members, including a Crittenden County Schools logo keychain.
Now that he has multiple years of experience in 3D printing, Penn has returned to the Innovation Hub this year to help other Crittenden County Middle School students with 3D printing.
Franklin said Penn’s passion for 3D printing is a great example of how the Innovation Hub’s resources set students up to pursue their passions and future careers.
“It’s really gratifying to hear him be inspired by what we’ve taught here, and then he takes that and takes that trajectory, builds upon it, and takes it to his community in school,” he said.