Ping Fu visits the MakerLab

Ping Fu, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at 3D Systems and a former researcher at the University of Illinois, recently visited the MakerLab. She was quite intrigued to hear about a 3D printing lab in a Business School. She brought along some examples of amazing 3D printed objects, such as a pink scarf that retains body heat and a customized multi-colored bracelet. She gave some valuable advice to our Guru's Ana and Ryan, and challenged us to look beyond the technology behind 3D printing which is increasingly becoming commoditized. Instead, she asked us to focus on helping students develop business models that are scalable. As it turns out, we are working on exactly that, by offering our new "Making Things" class next spring, where students will acquire the skills to create and market 3D printed objects. Here are some pictures of her visit.