3D Printing in the Chemistry Curriculum: Inspiring Millennial Students To Be Creative Innovators

Educators should certainly keep in mind the positive attributes ofmillennial learners as we consider new curricular approaches. In this spirit, a 3D printing in chemistry initiative has been undertaken at Stetson University that draws upon the technological prowess of millennial undergraduate students. 3D printing activities have been incorporated in the curriculum whereby students are challenged to create a variety of chemical models. Together, these activities represent a highly motivational means of getting students to further engage in chemistry, while at the same time practicing and demonstrating the skills of creativity/innovation, collaboration, and technological literacy deemed vital for 21st century professionals. The costs, compactness, low maintenance, and overall reliability of 3D printers have trended favorably in recent years to an extent that it is now possible to implement this technology within most academic settings. To the chemist, 3D printing represents a powerful new tool for creating more realistic, tangible models of molecular structures. 3D printing exercises can be incorporated in the curriculum as student lab assignments, out- of-class independent study or group projects for credit, or senior research projects. Several student projects are presented, ranging from the printing of simple ball-and-stick models of common chemical structures to the fabrication of more realistic, space- filling models of proteins and molecular complexes. The conversion of open-access, online Protein Data Bank (PDB) structures into 3D printed models and the use of quantum computational software to generate accurate structural representations of chemical complexes for 3D printing is also described. Several web and software resources that can be utilized by chemists in support of 3D printing activities, as well as other general purpose 3D graphics file creation and editing tools, are reviewed.