How we can tackle the global education crisis with 3D printing

[Applause]

if i had not been adopted

my life could have turned out a whole

lot differently

in that life i’d be working grueling

hours in a factory

making less than three dollars a day

maybe i wouldn’t even be here

that’s something i do not take for

granted

fast forward 14 years i’m in my dad’s

office discussing the future of

technology

i remember thinking about the need for

schools around the world

and asking what if we 3d printed them

the problem the world faces is that over

290 million students

are not in school they do not have

access to the same opportunities

and the need for education

infrastructure still remains

especially in developing countries where

the funding is not available

many of these students will not finish

school due to travel distance

overcrowding and being pushed further

into poverty

we have the technology and the resources

to solve this

by leveraging 3d printing for good we

can build a brighter future

3d printing is a piece in the puzzle to

solving the global education crisis

now you may be wondering why 3d printed

schools

let me first begin by addressing some

frequent assumptions

no the schools are not made of plastic

concrete is extruded layer by layer to

build the walls

and rather than desktop size our printer

is architectural scale

3d printing is the future of

construction

first it decreases construction time

from months to days

often students will walk miles to go to

school and even then

the school may be overcrowded 3d printed

schools

allow us to address this need second

it reduces our carbon footprint concrete

production

is one of the largest polluters in the

world our concrete mixture will emit

less co2

lastly it limits waste production 3d

printing can reduce waste by up to 50

percent

this ensures unnecessary waste creation

while a traditional school may take

months or years to build

a 3d printer can build a school in a

matter of days

this allows us to build more schools in

less time

imagine printing 12 schools in the time

it would take to build one

once our printer is on location the

walls are built from the ground up

concrete is extruded layer by layer in a

honeycomb process

though the walls are hollow 3d printed

schools are structurally sound

waste is cut in half but while integrity

almost doubles due to modified concrete

once the walls cure the rough doors and

other materials can be easily attached

solar panels and a rainwater harvesting

system can then be added to the rough

after this the school is ready for

students

i’m the founder of thinking huts a

nonprofit that seeks to increase access

to education

with innovative solutions our pilot will

be a hybrid design

of 3d printed concrete walls and locally

sourced materials

inspired by a beehive configuration our

modular design can grow to accommodate

additional students with off-grid solar

panels and a vertical garden

our schools will be sustainable even in

the most remote areas

scalable and adaptive we can work

alongside communities to teach 3d

printing processes this ensures that the

concept can be replicated

from madagascar to pakistan zimbabwe to

india

there’s a huge potential for technology

transfer

an opportunity exists for us to empower

communities

and catalyze innovation by building 3d

printed schools

we can ensure every student has a safe

place to learn

3d printing provides a solution that is

not only faster

but lowers costs with economies of scale

we’re on the brink of unlocking human

potential

we have an opportunity to lift up rather

than leave behind

a glance at the news will show that

innovation is typically reserved

for revenue driven business what if we

championed innovation to unleash

untapped potential 3d printed schools

allow us to do that

we can envision a world that places

people before profit

a world that champions education and

innovative solutions

a world filled with global citizens that

care about one another

that’s the world i hope to one day raise

children in

we should equip the next generation with

the skills to surpass us

only together will we accomplish such a

feat and it begins with access to

education

education is at the root of solving many

problems the world faces today

ranging from health epidemics to

eradicating poverty

we must take action before it’s too late

we need to create tangible solutions

that encourage innovation

and we will but we need more people like

my dad to say

i believe in you we need to leverage 3d

printing to create social impact

my greatest hope is that this new year

brings about more opportunities for us

to envision our world as it could be

because it all begins with a vision

thank you