STEMS scholars share research on campus

John Cheng, a junior from Commerce, Georgia, pursuing degrees in physics and engineering, is a STEMS scholar who partnered with sophomores Jacob Navarette and Joseph Oprea on a research project. Dr. Ted Forringer, assistant department head of Physics & Astronomy, served as their faculty advisor. Their work sought to build on an existing four-axis Core R-Theta 3D printer design by assembling and refining a working prototype that adds a rotational axis to the usual X, Y and Z motion, allowing more complex and potentially more precise prints than a conventional 3D printer.

"It's more applicable to engineering because you get to build something," Cheng said. "It's good to do something that's not just pure number-crunching to see if I like it."

Oprea, a Winder, Georgia, resident pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering through the REP, also appreciated the hands-on nature of their project.

"In a classroom environment, it's all theoretical," Oprea said. "In research, you deal with practical problems people face."