On July 20, Congressman Pete Visclosky joined Lisa Daugherty, CEO and President of Lake Area United Way, and Dr. Chenn Zhou, Executive Director at the Center for Visualization through Simulation (CIVS), in the launch of the newly designed Canstruction 3D-Design Software.
Canstruction Northwest Indiana “Superheroes Against Hunger” is a collaborative initiative led by Lake Area United Way and the United Way of Porter County in cooperation with Congressman Pete Visclosky.
“I appreciate the ingenuity and cooperation displayed throughout this entire project. Canstruction has been an innovative way for youths to work directly in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I commend the Lake Area United Way, United Way of Porter County, and all of the volunteers for their outstanding work on this initiative,” said Congressman Pete Visclosky.
Canstruction is an educational experience for middle-school students from Lake and Porter Counties. Throughout the process, students learn the basics of the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to design and build structures made entirely of canned food.
The 2015 Canstruction participating teams include:
Boys and Girls Club Northwest Indiana, Cedar Lake Branch
Boys and Girls Club of Porter County, Duneland Branch
Boys and Girls Club of Porter County, South Haven Branch
Boys and Girls Club of Porter County, Valparaiso Branch
Campagna Academy
Duneland Family YWCA
Griffith Family YWCA
YWCA of Northwest Indiana
More on Canstruction software developed by CIVS:
CIVS has developed software that allows participants to design and make modifications to their structures using 3D simulation. The software uses 3DS Max and Unity to allow anyone to add, move, or delete one of several can models in a 3D environment to get a preview of their designs before the build day. The software is available online so students can be accessed from any computer. The software also keeps track of the number of each type of can used and their approximate prices in order to help the teams manage their budgets.
For additional information on the Canstruction Project, please visit: http://www.canstructionnwi.org