Minneapolis - The Dimension 3D Printing Group, a business unit of Stratasys Inc., announced the nine finalists for its fourth annual "Extreme Redesign: The Ultimate 3D Printing Challenge," a global design and 3D printing contest for high school and college students.
The nine finalists were chosen from a pool of more than 800 design entries worldwide. Entries fall in to one of three categories: High School, University and the newly added, Art and Architecture category. The three first place category winners will receive $2,500 scholarships. The remaining finalists each will receive $1,000 scholarships.
Short web videos featuring the nine finalists are now available at http://www.dimensionprinting.com/extreme-redesign/2008finalists.aspx. Though an independent panel of judges determines the winners, Dimension encourages students, educators, and designers to vote for their favorite entries online.
The final contestants from the high school category are Ashley Bredemus (Rubik's Sphere for the Blind) of Grand Rapids High School in Grand Rapids, Minn.; Kyle Olbrich (The Eggcinerator) of Wando High School in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; and in his second consecutive year as a finalist, Zach Stephens (Triple Play Light Bulb) of Westfield High School in Carmel, Ind.
Final contestants from the University category are Ashley Lemon (Public Seating) of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Minneapolis, Minn.; Nate Moren (Flat Door Stop) of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Minneapolis, Minn.; and George Suarez (Solar Powered Water Desalination Unit) of the University of California Davis in Davis, Calif.
Final contestants in the Art and Architecture category are Benjamin Foley (Redesigned Lave Lamp) of Sherwood High School in Sherwood, Ore.; Nicole Redcross (Mrs. Redcross 2226) of Metro Technology Centers in Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Essiah Underwood (Bfly Fan) of Metro Technology Centers in Oklahoma City, Okla.
The three winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 20 at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' (SME) Rapid 2008 Conference and Exposition in Lake
Buena Vista, Fla. The announcement will be made at the opening of the conference. Immediately following the May 20 announcement, an in-depth web video profiling the three winning students and their designs will be on Dimension's Web site.
To enter the high school or university engineering categories, students need to identify an existing product and redesign it, making the original design better by adding new functionality or aesthetic qualities. For submissions in the art and architecture category, the emphasis should be on originality and the overall beauty or aesthetic of the design.
Once the design is complete, students submit an .stl file of their Extreme Redesign, a completed submission form, and a 200-word description of the value and benefit of the Extreme Redesign part via Dimension's Web site.
A panel of independent judges then scores final entries on the basis of creativity, usefulness, part integrity and beauty. Finalists and winners will receive $2,500 or $1,000 scholarships. Complete contest rules and submission information are available at http://www.dimensionprinting.com/education/extremeredesign.shtml.