Kilkenny school wins national design challenge using 3D printing

St. Colman’s National School has been announced as one of the two winners of a national design competition that used 3D printing to respond to sustainability challenges within their schools.

The Clara school topped the pile in the category ‘Manufacturing a Healthy Future’ – a 3D printing design challenge. 

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The competition was initiated by I-Form, the SFI Research Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, and Stryker, a leading global medical technology company.

The project, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Manufacturing, challenged young pupils to fix or improve something in their own classroom or school, using 3D printing as a creative design tool. 

As part of their project, ‘The Elves’ in 2nd Class in St. Colman’s focused on bringing old board games back to life by replacing missing pieces.

Maggie Curran, 2nd Class Teacher at St. Colman’s National School, said that the school are 'thrilled' to be named a winner.

"This project incorporated many key skills for students, e.g. cooperative learning, design, maths and art," she said.

"The tasks that the pupils were set were meaningful and reinforced the sustainability aspect of our environmental education programme. As a teacher, it was very rewarding to see the pupils working collaboratively and developing their problem-solving skills."

Both schools were awarded a €1,000 technology package for their school, along with gift vouchers for the children and a tour of the Stryker facility in Cork.

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Dr. Triona Kennedy, Senior Research Manager at Stryker, said that their team of engineers, scientists and designers have been so impressed with each entry to the design challenge from primary schools.

"The future is in great hands," she added.