Last month we showed off the Manufacturing Extension Partnership's new 3D printer. We've dreamed up a lot of uses for these amazing machines, and we are currently working with AMEP to let students print their own designs. Alaska is lucky enough to have Trimble Sketchup Pro (formerly Google Sketchup), an easy to use but very powerful 3D modeling program, available free for all schools. Coupled with a 3D printer, students have everything they need to turn their digital models into real objects. We're particularly interested in using the printer together with the KidWind project we introduced last month. One of the most difficult parts of the turbine, regardless of scale, is the design of the blades, and 3D printing will let students rapidly prototype complex designs and see how they affect the turbine's efficiency.

We've also been cooperating with Junior Achievement of Alaska to teach financial literacy. Cameron practiced a lesson in entrepreneurship and globalization to 3rd-5th graders at the Boys and Girls Club here in Anchorage, and we plan to take the lessons to Southwest in the fall. 

Ouzinkie, a vibrant community of 160 Alutiiq and mixed ethnicity inhabitants, resides in the Kodiak Archipelago. Tucked into a dense spruce forest with ocean and mountains on all sides, the community is located about 10 minutes by air, and 40 minutes by skiff from Kodiak City. Recent investments in this picturesque village position the community for long-term health and development. As all Alaskans know, an airstrip is vital to the safety and operations of life in rural Alaska and the community scored big with a new airfield completed in 2010. However, while flying high value items like people is a necessity, holding down living costs relies on ocean going transportation. New port upgrades completed this summer mark the first time the Alaska Marine Highway System has scheduled regular service stops, providing a cheap, reliable transportation and logistics support to the community.  

While transportation systems are vital to the health of a community, economic opportunities are what make a difference. The Ouzinkie Native Corporation funded the Spruce Island Development Corporation (SIDCO), including an 8000 pound purchase of Community Quota Entity (CQE) halibut allocations, which can be fished by the local population. By providing a small portion of high-value halibut, SIDCO supports the existing fishing fleet, while providing a mechanism to facilitate new entrants into the fishing industry. Understanding the importance of diversifying economic activity and investing in students, the community is participating in the Kodiak Island School District's Community Shellfish Monitoring Program, with hopes of expanding STEM related activities for students (supported by SWAMC). In a few years, the community is hopeful that these programs will help the community understand PSP, (red tide) related dangers, expand students understanding and interest in local marine sciences and investigate the possibility for a new mariculture industry.  

With their natural beauty and generations of cultural and traditional understanding of Island Living, Ouzinkie is an often overlooked gem of the North Pacific.