Wi3DP Next Gen Launches ‘Meet the Stars of 3D Printing: Aerospace Edition’ Virtual Event

Women in 3D Printing Next Gen have announced its second ‘Meet the Stars of 3D Printing: Aerospace Edition’, which will feature an all-female panel of speakers from Airbus, NASA, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, taking place virtually on March 23rd, 2021 from 7-9 pm EST.

The purpose of Wi3DP Next Gen events is to highlight the career opportunities in the 3D printing industry and bridge the gap between academia and industry with a supportive professional network. “We want to help our next generation of 3D printing workforce understand the applications, opportunities, and challenges awaiting for them if they decide to take a step into this direction,” shares Sanjana Narayanan, Head of Wi3DP Nest Gen Career Development and high schooler.

Celina Gratton, Project Manager at Airbus shares, “I am excited to be a speaker in the Women in 3D Printing Next Gen panel as it gives me the opportunity to connect with like-minded women, and hopefully, I can help inspire young women in STEM wanting to work in the field of Additive Manufacturing.”

Meet the Stars of 3D Printing: Aerospace Edition will introduce attendees to all-stars working with additive manufacturing technologies in the aerospace industry today. Joining the event are Celina Gratton, Project Manager at Airbus; Colette Fennessey, Associate Director of Additive Manufacturing at Raytheon; Sarah Ludeman, Additive Manufacturing Engineer at NASA; and Anna Sailor, Principal Additive Manufacturing Process Engineer at Northrop Grumman. The two-hour virtual event, moderated by Sanjana Narayanan, will offer attendees the opportunity to learn from and connect with these professionals in real-time. Following a panel discussion, the Remo platform allows for live conversation and networking to directly speak with the current and next generation of women in aerospace 3D printing.

“Today, we are facing a widening skills gap, especially in the United States and Europe. If not solved, manufacturers may strain their workers, resulting in higher turnover, lower-quality output, and potentially loss in profit causing them to lose their competitive edge, which affects local economies,” shares Nora Touré, founder of Women in 3D Printing. “Deloitte estimates put the labor shortage at potentially 2.8 million by 2028. Time is ticking, the current workforce is ageing, and there aren’t enough qualified applicants to replace them. And whenever there’s an economic crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic we’re currently facing, manufacturers and their workforce suffer in large numbers, and that is terrifying.”

Women in 3D Printing launched Wi3DP Next Gen via the inaugural ‘Meet the Stars of 3D Printing Event’, which took place in January 2021. Wi3DP Next Gen spotlighted young professionals from LEGO, Tapestry, SpaceX, New Balance, Facebook. Approximately 470 students and educators registered for the event, demonstrating a significant interest in additive manufacturing and 3D printing content designed for the student community.

As a community-based organisation, Women in 3D Printing strives to serve the industry as a whole with resources to build a more equitable future. Wi3DP Next Gen brings that community together in regular global, virtual events to share experiences, successes, ongoing work, and forward-looking strategies.