Stratasys subsidiary MakerBot has announced its latest MakerBot Innovation Center has opened at Xavier University. This move marks the first time a private university has adopted one of MakerBot's centers dedicated to teaching students, professors, and professionals the ins and outs of 3D printing and prototyping technology.

Xavier's innovation center includes 31 MakerBot Replicators along with a full stock of PLA filament, and Digitizer Desktop 3D scanners -- all tied together under MakerBot's Management Platform that facilitates mass production of 3D prints and provides remote access for students and staff. The company will also be providing technical support and consulting services to Xavier's faculty to develop an academic curriculum. MakerBot and Xavier hope the dedicated space for startups and networking will attract students across all major disciplines, from the arts to engineering and the sciences, and also allow for collaboration with entrepreneurs and researchers.

"Our mission at Xavier University is to educate our students so that they are able to make the world a better place," Shawn Nason, chief innovation officer with Xavier University, said in a press statement. With these innovative MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers, we will transform how our students learn here at the Xavier Center for Innovation and beyond. With MakerBot, we'll not only be 'making' 3D objects in our classrooms, but helping shape the leaders and innovators of future industries as well."

MakerBot began its Innovation Center program last year; the first center opened last summer at The State University of New York at New Paltz. "If students come out of here knowing about 3D printing and different applications of it, it will give them a better chance of starting a career," Dan Freedman, dean of science and engineering at New Paltz commented. 

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The Xavier University center officially opened on Feb. 4. Jenny Lawton, CEO of MakerBot, commented that MakerBot is still working to expand its Innovation Centers into more universities and institutions nationwide. "This is an important step that will help introduce more students, community members, and entrepreneurs to the idea of 3D printing and how this technology can help them visualize and memorize complex theoretical concepts, gain hands-on experience, and unleash their creativity," she said.

Chris Wiltz is the Managing Editor of Design News