Meet Scott Washburn: 3D printing aficionado by day, long-boarding Rhode Island native by night. Scott is a junior Management & Engineering for Manufacturing (MEM) major at UConn, which is a dual major of business and engineering. He is also a TA and is part of an independent study that allows him to build 3D printers.
Name: Scott Washburn
Age: 20
Major: Management & Engineering for Manufacturing
Hometown: South Kingstown, Rhode Island
What made you want to get involved with 3D printing and pick MEM as your major?
SW: I’ve always wanted to do something that was productive and something that was really technical in making something specific. I had a lot of choices and I was thinking engineering for a while, but in my junior year of high school, I really didn’t do well in any of my math or sciences classes and I didn’t enjoy them at all. So I was like, “Maybe I’ll do business,” and I really enjoyed history. And then I discovered MEM that summer and ended up doing a lot better senior year. I realized that MEM was kind of like the link of everything I wanted to do. And with 3D printing, I took the class, really enjoyed it, and then got asked to be a TA the next semester.
Two of the 3D printers being built in the independent study Scott’s involved in.
How exactly does the printer work?
SW: Essentially, there’s an extruder that melts hot plastic, while simultaneously travelling around in a path on the plate to form the shape or the item that you created.
Can you tell me about your internship?
SW: My internship last summer was a design internship at Legrand. And it was mostly working with Solidworks, the 3D printing software. I worked in the maintenance department, so it was like the upkeep of the current engineering. If there was a part being made and something didn’t fit properly, I would tweak the dimensions in the software to make it fit. I also designed a few custom products for customers who wanted something more specific, and one of the things I made at the end of the summer is actually being turned into a current product.
What advice can you give someone trying to get an internship?
SW: Go to the career fair. And be social about the things you want to talk about, don’t just walk up and ask, “Do you have a position?” Because everyone there is looking for the same thing – highlight the things that make you stand out, other than your technical skills and being a student.
3D printed items made by students in the MEM program.
What else are you involved with on campus?
SW: I spent most of my time on campus doing MEM stuff, not only being the TA for the lab, but all of my classes, and I’m an MEM society officer. But every Friday I go long boarding on Horsebarn Hill. I mean, it’s an unofficial club – we call it UConn Long-boarding Club, but we don’t have an advisor or funding…. we just hang out! I also like to rock climb.
Dream job?
SW: I want to be a facility manager somewhere, so I want to be in control of all the production happening. All the planning, coordinating, and organizing. I hope somewhere that’s engineering and technical. In terms of the industry, potentially the machine tooling industry, but I don’t know for sure. I’m still deciding whether I want to do that by starting my own business or doing well working somewhere else.
If MEM or 3D printing sounds like something you’d be interested in, check out their page, or stop by the lab and see for yourself! It’s located in Engineering II, room 302.