COUNTY — Middle school students in Pickens County will soon have two 3D printers to use in their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) studies.

The 3D printers are a donation from Manufacturers Caring for Pickens County, a non-profit whose goal is to enhance, develop, and enrich socioeconomic values and conditions in Pickens County. The printers have a combined value of about $5,000.

“MCPC is proud to play a role in exposing the future generation of engineers, scholar technicians and designers to real world solutions,” said Tom O’Hanlan, MCPC chairman and founder of Sealevel Systems Inc. in Liberty.

Gettys Middle School will be the first school to integrate the technology into the classroom. Teacher Jonathan Scrivner’s Gateway To Technology class will pilot the program, before it can be scaled to each middle school in the district.

“GMS is really excited about this opportunity and would like to thank MCPC for such commitment to enriching the engineering experience for our students,” Scrivner said. “After seeing a few 3-D print samples provided to us by MCPC, the students are really stoked at the thought of printing some of their own work. This will play an important role in helping our students link the engineering curriculum to real world applications. Having such a supportive community to make these opportunities possible proves a priceless asset to our students. We cannot wait to put these to work and see them in action.”

“3D printing is definitely the future and many of our member companies are already using it for prototyping parts,” O’Hanlan said.

“The STEM program at Gettys is dedicated to offering students truly authentic project-based learning activities that have outstanding support from groups like the MCPC,” said Mike Cory, principal at Gettys Middle School. “The support of manufacturers in Pickens County offers our students the very best in becoming career-ready citizens and it provides our students with a great advantage in their education and future career goals.”