Utilizing 3D-Printing Technology in Cross-Disciplinary STEAM Education

Abstract

Individuals visiting science museums and centers generally seek to cultivate their scientific thinking and, thanks to advanced technologies in the beginning of the 21st century, can also enjoy multisensory artistic experiences. Creating such an immersive experience in museums has been part of a national strategy to increase the number of future Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) personnel, fields that have historically had greater difficulty in attracting students. ABSTRACT Individuals visiting science museums and centers generally seek to cultivate their scientific thinking and, thanks to advanced technologies in the beginning of the 21st century, can also enjoy multisensory artistic experiences. Creating such an immersive experience in museums has been part of a national strategy to increase the number of future Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) personnel, fields that have historically had greater difficulty in attracting students. The aim of this paper is to highlight the benefits of cross-disciplinary learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) within the context of a university museum; specifically, the case of a STEAM education project that was developed to provide an opportunity to collaboratively learn a certain subject (the microstructure of cells) with students majoring in different disciplines. The students from different backgrounds were found to actively interact with the respective advanced skills of their peers during the project and inevitably created a detailed 3D cell model that was utilized in further educational programs.