EXPLORATION GRANT APPLICATION

Transcription

1 INNOVATIVE LEARNING INSTITUTE EXPLORATION GRANT APPLICATION I. INSTRUCTIONS Complete this form in its entirety and it to no later than November 1, Please note to save and rename this document substituting your name (in place of NAME ) in the file name. II. PERSONAL INFORMATION Name: Robin Cass / Jane Shellenbarger robin.cass@rit.edu Phone: X5778 College: CIAS Department: School for American Crafts Department head name, phone and CIAS Dean L. Justice Faculty rank: Robin Cass - full professor, SAC glass / chair, School for American Crafts Jane Shellenbarger assistant professor, SAC ceramics The Digital Hand: Proposed project name: Integrating CAD & Rapid Prototyping into Material Arts Education Total funds requested: (grants of $3,000-$5,000 will be considered): $4,

2 III. BUDGET Provide information on how the funds will be used, modifying the following categories as needed to match your project. Budget item Personnel Equipment Licenses Other resources 45 graduate assistant hours during the course of spring semester MakerBot Digitizer (manufacturer tech support included) Makerbot Replicator 2X(manufacturer tech support included) ZCorp Spectrum Z- 510 Color Solid Object Printer Rhino (for Mac) Makerware Amount requested none $1,559. less 5% discount = 1, $3,308. less 5% discount = $3,142. none Filament (ABS, PLA, $302. less and Flexible) for initial 5% discount printing experiments = Amount committed from other sources SAC will support 45 GA $15/hr. = $675. SAC will house this equipment and be responsible for security, training, maintenance, and repairs with the assistance of the SAC technicians. (see above) Professor Denis Cormier in the Brinkman Lab at RIT has offered us the use of this machine as needed to execute our project. He has also offered the assistance of one of his student lab assistants for consultation and technical support as needed. The value of this arrangement is tremendous, but an exact monetary amount is difficult to determine CIAS already has a lab with Rhinoceros for PC s, but a Mac version is needed for faculty laptops. Cost is TBD SAC will cover Individual SAC programs and students will cover additional filament as needed depending on intermediate outcomes. Total $ $675. plus in-kind support Brief statement of explanation/justification Facilitation of project logistics Enables scanning of threedimensional forms as starting or intermediate point in creative process. Enables rapid prototyping in a variety of plastic materials through an additive process of scanned/manipulated/designed forms that can be further manipulated/processed/reproduc ed by hand. The ZCorp Spectrum Z-510 prints plaster powder using a liquid binder. It is well suited to making molds for ceramic slip and wax. It is also possible to substitute refractory powder media, such as silica, for some of the plaster so that the resulting molds could be used for high temperature glass casting. Both the MakerBot and ZCorp printers specified here can work with input created in either of these applications. We would be investigating suitability for classroom use and looking for student feedback on the different approaches. Each of these filament types is worth investigating for potential compatibility with ceramic and glass forming processes. 2

3 IV. PROPOSED TIMELINE Provide a high-level timeline for your investigation (see the Dissemination Agreement section of this application for more details) Task Date Project plan complete 12/15/13 Preliminary findings complete 5/30/14 Summary of final findings complete 7/15/14 Final budget accounting complete 7/15/14 Course, activity, or tool (re)design complete (design and development support may be provided by the ILI Teaching & Learning Studio) Faculty Teaching & Learning Commons entry complete (development facilitated by the ILI Teaching & Learning Studio) Participation in faculty panel event complete (event to be planned and facilitated by the ILI Teaching & Learning Studio) Please note that the timeframe for milestone completion must align with the PLIG schedule. 8/15/14 12/30/14 2/1/15 3

4 V. STATEMENT OF UTILITY (TWO PAGES MAXIMUM) 1. Provide an overview of the project you are proposing, including: Project objectives An explanation of the teaching/learning problem(s) it is designed to address An explanation of the significance of the project to student outcomes and/or the student experience. 2. Provide a brief description of how the project integrates with activity already underway at RIT in the priority area and/or how this approach has been successfully used at RIT already. 1. Project Overview The nature of making, on both individual and industrial scales, is changing rapidly. Entities involved in manipulation of materials to create objects, which are numerous, are struggling to engage with new technologies on their own terms. In the case of the School for American Crafts, we need to embrace processes such as 3D scanning, machining, and printing and figure out how these new tools can enrich our curriculum and empower our students. The digital process can be used as a tool for design and prototyping, a middle step in the process such as a mold, or the final step such as a finished object. The artist s engagement with these tools leads to studio practice that embraces and emphasizes both the production/fabrication of objects from a range of materials, as well as a sustained investigation of these objects by way of successive experiments with scale, proportion, placement, organization etc. Such processes lend themselves well to projects involving multiples, variations on a theme, pattern generation, etc. SAC currently houses two pieces of equipment for digitally forming materials: a CNC router for wood in the Furniture Design area and a computer controlled mill for forming small objects out of hard wax in the Jewelry Design area. Both of these technologies are subtractive in nature, while the pieces of equipment described in this grant application are additive, thus complementing our existing facilities. We propose to conduct a pilot program involving engaging a small number of glass and ceramic students in a semester long project grounded in material knowledge and expertise, facilitated through digital design and printing, and with an architectural focus. Ceramics and glass are ideal for large-scale architectural applications: they can be permanent, colorful, and relatively simple to form. Both materials also have the potential to be sourced and handled sustainably. For centuries, architects have developed systems for cladding large surfaces with interconnecting ceramic pieces. Innovations in complex geometry have emerged from their solutions. In this project, students would develop solutions for covering of constructing large architectural surfaces with ceramic or glass tile developed with CAD software then modeled and prototyped through 3D printing as either an intermediate or final step. 4

5 STATEMENT OF UTILITY CONTINUED a. Project Objectives -Increase digital design and fabrication technology implementation in the ceramic and glass studios as a tool for generation of sculptural and utilitarian forms. -Allow students to engage in modeling and prototyping while simultaneously engaging in making with materials and their processes. b. Teaching and Learning Problems addressed These tools (the digital scanner and printer) will allow our students to make real progress towards the following outcomes -Foster a nimble sense of creativity and making as technology evolves -Become familiar with Industry standards for production of individual creative output -Enhance the entrepreneurial sensibility in our programs In the long term, these types of technologies will facilitate: -engagement in international artistic and design collaboration despite distance or language through simultaneous work on projects and exchange of digital 3D designs -Explore product customization of creative output as a way to interface with clients c. Significance to student project outcomes/student experience Expertise with both digital forming processes and traditional processes and materials empowers our students as makers and designers by amplifying and optimizing their creativity and hand skills within a 21st century studio paradigm. Not only will our students be exposed to a deep experiential knowledge of materials and their physical and technical properties, they will possess the ability to disseminate their ideas through multiple avenues. Such skills enable them to integrate with contemporary industrial makers and therefore broaden their ability to interface with global commerce. 2. Integration with activity underway in the priority area and/or how this approach has been used successfully at RIT - Student Success is fostered through mastery of contemporary digital vocabulary and skills, which are now the norm for industrial fabrication. - Student Retention is likely improved via a more dynamic and relavent curriculum. -Academic Excellence - These tools and the skill sets they foster naturally combine with the current standards of academic excellence, which has always been a priority for the School for American Crafts. - Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration - The potential for increased integration of disciplines/specialties and the collaborative opportunities that could grow from this pilot project are significant. These are technologies that are becoming invaluable prerequisites as such for many diverse professionals architects, industrial designers, etc. We have had encouraging conversations with faculty in other parts of the Institute who are also intrigued with these technological developments, and looking for ways to bring them into the classroom or studio. Eventually, an open lab (or series of labs in each college) equipped with various digital scanning and fabrication equipment would be a wonderful resource for a number of different majors. This investigation will bring us closer to understanding how best to integrate these exciting new technologies into the art and design curricula. -Research and Innovation - This teaching model enhances and fosters research and innovation through it s experimental nature, and marriage of creativity with technology. 5

6 VI. STATEMENT OF CREATIVITY (THREE PARAGRAPHS MAXIMUM) Provide a brief description of how this is a novel approach, or a new application of an existing mode or model of teaching and learning, or represents an entirely new paradigm. (Please note that special consideration will be given to proposals that demonstrate a new use/application of a model, system, or technology already in use at RIT.) 1. Description of how this is a novel approach, or a new application of an existing mode or model of teaching and learning, or represents a new paradigm This experimental approach to making would allow us to combine the essence of a laboratory, a studio, and a factory; and is a distinctly 21st century version of a School for American Crafts studio. This is a perfect illustration of how SAC s faculty and students can maximize their skills and experience through embracing cutting edge technologies. Although seemingly antithetical to the heritage of The School for American Crafts to some, embracing new technology is in fact an entirely consistent and an important step forwards. At their most powerful, digital design and rapid proto-typing are not "short cuts or ways to bypass real skills, but rather a powerful new set of tools and skills, which can only help artists and designers realize their creative visions. Placing these new tools in the hands of real artists and makers is a truly exciting thing; these students have genuine experience with design, a deep understanding of material, and mastery of a wide range of hand-forming processes. When combined with the potential to engage in sustained investigation of objects by way of successive experiments with scale, proportion, placement, aesthetic choices and organization, as is possible with this new equipment, the outcomes are sure to be outstanding. 6

7 VII. STATEMENT OF EFFICACY (TWO PAGES MAXIMUM) Provide a brief description of the experiment/research design, methodology, and methods of data collection you will use to gauge efficacy. This project would be structured as follows: Phase I Intersession: -refinement of project schedule, parameters and instructional materials -confirmation of consultants and visiting critics -procurement of equipment and materials -use of on campus expertise, online tutorials and manufacturer resources to become familiar with equipment -identification and training of a graduate assistant Phase II Spring semester through midterm: --student involvement begins -between four and six students total from the glass and ceramic undergraduate and graduate programs will be invited to participate in this pilot project within the structure of Independent studies with professors Shellenbarger and Cass. -initial experiments with ZCorp510 printer in the Brinkman lab to establish effective binder, powder media, and settings for wax, ceramic, and glass molds -in coordination with the CAD class offered to SAC undergraduates, selected students will continue developing their skills with the digital rendering process Phase III Second half of spring semester: -execution of models Students will engage in the design and production of interior or exterior wall cladding, floor treatments or space partitioning by aligning themselves with a local restaurant/ business and creating theoretical site-specific solutions. The site-specific collaborations while theoretical and proposal orientation will allow and include consulting for guidelines and measuring and assessing projects for success. -execution of prototype elements Both scaled-down and full-scale prototypes would made from molds that could be printed by a computer controlled printer, printing with plaster (for clay) and a silica/plaster combination for glass. These would relate to the site specific and theoretical application of the designs and solutions generated for architectural spaces. Possible off-campus sources of consultants or critics: -Boston Valley Terracotta, an architectural ceramic company -Victor Insulator, a manufacturer of ceramic insulator products -Corning Incorporated Phase IV Summer: Review and analyze resulting projects, feedback from students, consultants and visiting critics. Incorporate into curriculum through new assignments, etc. as appropriate. Develop plans for further development of exploration. 7

8 DISSEMINATION PLAN (OPTIONAL) If applicable, provide details about the journal, conference, show, other external vehicle with strong potential for dissemination of your results. Include supporting documentation such as preliminary interest or acceptance with your application, if available. external dissemination, such as an academic journal or professional conference.) We are confident that presentations could be arranged at least two of the following professional conferences: NCECA (National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts) GAS (Glass Art Society) ACC (American Craft Council) Urban Glass (Issues in Glass Pedagogy) An active blog would also be maintained throughout the project. 8

9 VIII. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS Please address these questions, if needed. Will your project require assistance for extensive or unusual media, multimedia, simulation, and/or software development? If so, please explain? no All courses offered by RIT must be accessible to students with disabilities, according to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (rit.edu/diversity/title-ix). Is your proposed teaching approach accessible to all students, with reasonable accommodation? If not, please explain. RIT abides by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which prohibits instructors from making students' identities, course work, and educational records public without their consent (rit.edu/xvzne). Will any data gathering or sharing for your project raise any FERPA issues? If so, please explain. 9

10 IX. DISSEMINATION AGREEMENT By completing this grant application, I agree to provide the materials described here, in support of disseminating what is learned from this project to other faculty at RIT. I also agree to return all/a portion of the funds that I receive for this project to RIT if I fail to complete or provide the materials described here. Project plan (including roles and responsibilities, milestone dates, and pertinent project details) Overview of preliminary findings (may include experiment/study design, lessons learned, initial data collection, and/or literature review summary) Final project summary (including data collection, lessons learned, implications for further study, and which may be in the form of an article abstract, conference presentation outline, or short report) Course, activity, or tool (re)design (Materials that will allow other faculty to adopt the mode of model of teaching and learning effectively and efficiently. Design and development to be supported by the ILI Teaching & Learning Studio Faculty Teaching & Learning Commons entry (excerpts from research findings summary, the development of which is facilitated by the ILI Teaching & Learning Studio) Participation in faculty panel event (presentation of a brief summary of project and lessons learned and response to faculty questions. Event is planned and facilitated by the ILI Teaching & Learning Studio) Final budget accounting (reconciliation of budget provided with your application and the actual project expenses) By submitting this application, I accept this agreement 10