UA Museum to Feature 3-D Printing at January Event

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The community is invited to witness how the old and new combine during the Alabama Museum of Natural History’s Science Sunday at Smith Hall on The University of Alabama campus.

The event, scheduled from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, will feature demonstrations of 3-D printing and scanning; displays of fossils and other geologic history from the Alabama Paleontological Society, UA marine biology, evolutionary studies and geology club; a viewing of the Discovering Alabama File, “Tracks Across Time;” and a lecture by museum curator of paleontology Dr. Dana Ehret titled “Fossils of the Black Belt.”

The College of Engineering will demonstrate how the 3-D printers work by printing out miniature versions of fossils, said Allie Sorlie, the museum’s education outreach coordinator.

“It really is about combining the old with the new,” Sorlie said. “We’re showing how 3-D printing is being used in science with scientific study and research.”

There will also be hands-on activities for children in the museum’s Discovery Lab. In addition to puzzles and craft projects, children will make fossil tracks in the sand.

The event is free and open to all ages.

Looking ahead, the museum’s next Science Sunday will be from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 2. That event will explore the origins of the universe by looking at planets, stars and meteorites.

UA’s Alabama Museum of Natural History is in Smith Hall near the Quad at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Capstone Drive on The University of Alabama campus.