Shaping a STEM Future with a Tessellation and a 3-D Printer
The proposal, "Shaping a STEM Future with a Tessellation and a 3-D Printer" requires students to manipulate polygons with slide, flips, and rotations in order to create a tile, or tessellation, that will tile a plane. After mastering this process on paper, the students must then use a student-friendly software application to create a tile/tessellation. The students will then use a 3-D printer to print their tile. The resulting tile can be used as a template to create beautiful art projects that demonstrate both mathematical and technological skills. Students may then use their measuring and geometry skills to calculate both the surface area and volume of their creations. This STEM project allows students to be creative in an artistic way while at the same time learn vital 21st century skills.