Gifts to Wayne College Help Students Apply Knowledge Gained in the Classroom

Thanks to several recent gifts, The University of Akron Wayne College has expanded the opportunities available to students for real-world application of what they learn in the classroom.

A 3D printer purchased with a grant from The Laura B. Frick Charitable Trust – PNC Bank Trustee is being used by engineering students at the College. The technology of 3D printing is cutting edge and allows students to test their ideas by designing and producing prototypes. Three-dimensional solid objects of almost any shape can be created from a digital model. CAD software allows students to create or modify a design which is then printed. The technology uses a process that allows successive layers of material to be laid down in different shapes. According to chemical engineering major Dusty Ball, “The printer allows us to create what we might otherwise only see in a book.”

This new type of technology will provide many additional opportunities for students as it is integrated across a wide spectrum of courses. The skills students learn will transfer directly to real-world applications.

New science lab equipment is also being ordered for the College and will be used in the newly renovated science labs and classrooms. Over 60 generous friends of the College have donated funds for the equipment to date, and gifts continue to be accepted. This much needed equipment will be greatly utilized as over 725 students have science lab courses every year.

Additionally, five more scholarships will be generated annually for Wayne College students thanks to The Noble Foundation, which, for the third consecutive year, gave $100,000 to the Wayne College Founders Scholarship. The Noble Foundation is named in honor and memory of Donald and Alice Noble. Mr. Donald Noble was one of the 34 founding leaders of Wayne College. David Noble, president of the Foundation (and son of Donald and Alice), hopes others will follow the Foundation’s lead by considering a donation to the Founders Scholarship Endowment Fund.

The Founders Scholarship distributes many awards every year of $1,000 to full-time students and $500 to part-time students. If you would like to also contribute to the scholarship, you may make a secure online gift at http://wayne.uakron.edu/supportus/