OCR Text |
Show HILLTOP TIMES H illto p December 11, 2014 9 HAFB employees judge science fair Layton Christian Academy event promotes STEM education By DANA RIMINGTON Hilltop Times correspondent LAYTON — It was a typical science fair with projects about Frisbee dynamics, what cleans coins the most effectively, the effects of caffeine on plant growth, or if a cat lover predicts whether or not a person is an introvert. Intermingled amidst the tri-fold project posters at the Legacy Christian Academy science fair on Monday were a host of military members in uniforms and Hill Air Force Base civilians, judging the projects. "The cool thing about these science fairs is that the judges interact with the students oneon-one for ten minutes each, so these kids get first-hand contact with people who are in the military and in science fields, so they get to share with the kids how science relates to their job now, and students look up to members in uniform and that's a pretty cool part," said JD McBride, STEM Outreach Coordinator at Hill Air Force Base. Talking to someone in uniform may be daunting for some, according to one of the volunteer judges, Staff Sgt. Travis Laughlin. "Talking to somebody twice your age can be frightening, but in our society, it's one of the biggest killers of creativity. Once you get over being able to speak, it gives you confidence, something that is lacking in our society, and this can boost them by us telling them they have a good idea and they realize what they do matters," Laughlin said. Layton Christian Academy science teacher Anne Lewis agreed with Laughlin as she gave instructions to other volunteers from Hill Air Force Base. "This is where education starts, learning how to write your ideas down and talk to other people about those ideas, and having volunteers come from Hill Air DANA RIMINGTON/Hilltop Times correspondent. Chase Uragami, ninth-grader at Layton Christian Academy, presents his science fair project on Dec. 8, to Tech. Staff Sgt. Travis Laughlin, who helped volunteer as a judge for the event. See STEM I Page 10 PRINTING IN 3-D BILL ORNDORFF/U.S. Air Force A thin line of thermoplastic, coiled at left, is used in a 3-D printer to create objects like those shown on the table as well as prototype parts for aircraft. 309th MSG adds new Rapid Prototyping machine By BILL ORNDORFF Ogden Air Logistics Complex T he 309th Maintenance Support Group has a long history of building items, ranging from wooden office doors to splash molds that detect aircraft cracks. New technology is adding Rapid Prototyping, often referred to as 3-D printing, to the mix. Part of the group's Engineering Division and located in the group's Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory Facility, the equipment includes two printers — one that makes items from powder and another that uses coiled plastic. The newest machine, a Fortus 900mc, has been in place for two months and uses thermoplastic to create the item. According to company information, some of the materials can hold up in high heat, and against caustic chemicals, sterilization and high impact. "Printing a part begins with a customer sending a Computer Aided Design — CAD — file. The printing software uses an slt (stereolithography) format, but we can convert other formats to slt. We can also develop the CAD model if needed," said Taylor Gittins, 309th MXSG manufacturing engineer. "Depending on how large and complex the item is, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a day to produce the item," Gittins said. "The machine can safely run overnight without anyone watching it." Roughly the size of a seven-passenger minivan, the Fortus 900 reproduces the item a layer at a time by applying the pliable plastic. The thermoplastic materials used by the Fortus system can create durable parts, according to company information. See PRINTER I Page 10 BILL ORNDORFF/U.S. Air Force An F-16 wing attachment, molded from plastic in a 3-D printer, was used as a prototype before being machined in metal. The 309th Maintenance Support Group at Hill Air Force Base is using Rapid Prototyping, also known as 3-D printing, to create prototype parts. Family Dynamics: CMSAF, wife Athena talk about AF life at home By SENIOR AIRMAN ALEXANDER W. RIEDEL Air Force News Service FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. — In a special edition of CHIEFchat, the Air Force's senior enlisted leader and his wife sat down with a group of Airmen and their dependents for a candid conversation about family life in the force. Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody joined his wife, retired Chief Master Sgt. Athena Cody, in the round-table talk, which covered a variety of topics of concern to service families, from deployments and child care to lingering challenges on the road to same-sex marriage equality. The meeting allowed Airmen and their families to share their own stories directly with the service's top enlisted Airman, and hear his families take on combining family life with a career in blue. "Athena and I have been doing this for a long time and we've grown up in our Air Force," said Cody, who met his wife when both served as air traffic controllers. "We started out very young together. (We had) a lot of growing up to do. The Air Force, I think, helped us do that." Cody recalled being at his first duty station at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, when the couple expanded their family with the birth of their son. "We started out overseas, which created a little bit of a different dynamic for us because we didn't have immediate family to fall right back on," he said. "So we learned quickly to rely on each other for a lot. That doesn't mean we did it right, but we understood pretty quickly (how important we are to each other)." Athena Cody retired from the service as a chief master sergeant in January 2011. Addressing the con-cerns of young women who fill demanding roles as mothers and professionals in uniform, she offered unique insight as a senior enlisted veteran and the Air Force senior enlisted leader's spouse. See FAMILY I Page 10 |