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If you follow technology news, then you probably know that the 3D-printer is rapidly becoming a popular tool in many industries. For those who don’t know, the 3D-printer is a machine about the size of a desktop monitor. It has a large blue base with a nozzle that can move on three axes. This allows the nozzle to move forward and back, up and down and side to side. As a result, the product becomes three dimensional. After plugging in lines of code or designing a 3D sculpture on computer software, the printer puts down layers of cornstarch and makes a physical rendering of the design. Richard Scullin, Mt. Greylock’s Digital Media Lab Specialist,, along with a group of interested students, meet in Mr. Scullin’s room during directed study to work with Mt. Greylock’s own version of a 3D-printer. Last year, sophomores Ethan Roach, Timothy and Dan Sheik, and Darren Bonneville came together to build the machine with the assistance of  Mr. Scullin. Over the summer, Mr. Scullin applied for and received a grant from the Educator Innovator Program to buy a new 3D-printer. The new model separates itself from the one that the students built because of its advanced and more modern technology. This 3D-printer is more sturdily built. It also can make larger and  more detailed creations. The first 3D-printer that they built was more of a trial version compared to the one they have now, which is understandable considering that the field of 3D-printing is relatively new and growing rapidly. Mr. Scullin and his team of students spend their directed studies coding and using the 3D-printer in room W413A. Students are welcome to stop by and learn more about the 3D-printer and admire some of the creations that its operators have made.