Whether creating epoxy molds to support his thesis project on strengthening cement or printing hydroponic seed pods for his flourishing apartment balcony garden, Vijya Jayanthi Harikrishnan utilizes the Makerspace's 3D Printers in fascinating ways!
"It's faster and cheaper to create 3D printed materials at the Makerspace than to order them from elsewhere," said Jayanthi Harikrishnan. "I can set up the file and get the material the next day, plus the material is biocompatible."
Notably, Jayanthi Harikrishnan has 3D-printed parts for a bioreactor that supported bacterial cellulose research, the result of which will soon be published in a scholarly journal. Currently, he using the 3D printer to both explore nanomaterials that improve the utility of cement and to scale device models for a project that seeks to limit the leakage of natural gas during underwater drilling. When he isn't taking advantage of the Makerspace for research, Jayanthi Harikrishnan is using it to perfect his own personal urban garden.
"Growing your own fruits and vegetables provides food with much higher nutritional content at a much lower cost," said Jayanthi Harikrishnan. "I can use these 3D-printed pods--and seeds I buy off of Etsy--to grow seedlings in an AeroGarden that I'll later transplant into soil. This method helps improve the quality of the food I eat and gardening is a real stress buster."
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