Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1017425
AUGUST 22-28, 2018 UCW 21 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STEPHEN W. UMLAND, FTCC Simula- tion and Game Development Department Chair.. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. D.G. MARTIN, Host of UNC's Book Watch. COMMENTS? Edi- tor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Dick Spangler: Goodbye and thank you by D.G. MARTIN POLITICS EDUCATION FTCC offers pathway to the 3D connection by STEPHEN W. UMLAND The 3D printer is an emerging technology that fascinates both young and old. A seemingly magical transformation occurs that makes something from nothing. The 3D printer has the ability to revolu- tionize industry by enabling the return of the cot- tage industry and the redistribution of production of goods from the mega-factories of the present to the mom-and-pop shops of yesteryear. The potential applications of 3D printing extend far beyond the commercial, reaching into realms as fundamental as healthcare and as speculative as extraterrestrial colonization. As this technology is perfected and the number of printable materials grows, its application will grow geometrically and impact not only industry but also society itself. Another technology that has impacted society in the last score of years is the technology of the video game, in an entertainment and cultural shift as powerful as the one driven by the moving picture. Today, 3D game worlds rival the real world in gran- deur and scope, even generating their own econo- mies based on real money for virtual goods and generating tangible excitement and contentment via imaginary people, places and things. So, what's the connection between these two when video games dwell in the virtual of a cyberspace and 3D printers craft the real from molten plastic? The connection is 3D. Every 3D-printed object begins its life in the cyber ether as a computer-generated ghost of itself – a virtual blueprint on whose precision lies the fate of every form that springs from the printer's nozzle. Game developers craft 3D objects in virtual environ- ments – those objects and more can be printed by 3D printers. Thus, two outcomes emanate from the same skill. The more the demand for 3D prints, the more the demand for 3D modelers to visualize them. Now, almost anyone can buy a 3D printer and become a 3D factory; however, most people rely on pre-packaged prints. A child can print a Millennium Falcon toy, but a child did not make the model for the print ; a dentist may 3D-print a crown, but a dentist is not going to model one. These objects would be garbage without the preci- sion geometry that is the handiwork of an experi- enced 3D modeler. Yes, there are 3D scanners and other such devices that create models from real- world objects, but these models still need a human hand to smooth out the rough imperfections that such devices generate. At Fayetteville Technical Community College, staff members have created a 3D printing lab in the Simulation and Game Development depart- ment because the instructors already teach the 3D modeling skills that make 3D printing possible. This department seeks to broaden the career potential of students and to provide a workforce that can carry Cumberland County and its environs through the 21st century. The skills given to students in the Simulation and Game Development department will spur new ideas for the use of 3D printers and will help keep this program at FTCC vital and relevant. We strive to expand beyond our core students with the 3D printing lab. It is our goal to open the lab and department courses to all students at FTCC, and it is our desire for 3D printing students to participate in collaborative projects involving engineering, health- care, art and criminal justice curricula students, among others. To this end, we are offering a certifi- cate and a diploma as credentials in the specific area of 3D modeling and printing going forward. Email umlands@faytechcc.edu to learn how to con- nect with the 3D technology world through FTCC. Dick Spangler, who died last month, changed my life dramatically and forever. That makes it hard to write an objective and proper tribute to the Charlotte busi- ness leader and former president of the University of North Carolina System. First of all, he would not have liked the use of the word "system." He would not have said, "Don't use that word." Instead, he would have squinted, looked down over his glasses and said something like, "Are you sure that's a word you want to use?" That "system" word is now an official part of the institution's name. But for him, the multiple cam- puses of UNC composed one university under the state's constitution. I can hear him following up with a reminder that the constitution requires the univer- sity's benefits "as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense." His tenacious support for "low tuition" slowed down the rising cost of public higher education, making pos- sible life-changing experiences for thousands of young North Carolinians. In April, Spangler came to Chapel Hill to speak at an event honoring Wyndham Robertson, a former "Fortune" magazine assistant managing editor who served him as university vice president of communi- cations. Gifts from the Spangler family helped estab- lish a position at UNC Press honoring her. Spangler took pride in Robertson, the first female vice president of the university, and in many other non-traditional hires, including Jay Robinson, former super- intendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools who handled state government relations, and Julius Chambers, nationally- known civil rights attorney, to be chancel- lor at N. C. Central University. Spangler said his job was not to know how to do everything, but to identify, recruit and support people he could trust to succeed. Wisely, he retained the major staff members of his predecessor William Friday. He developed a special friendship with Vice President Raymond Dawson. Dawson's experiences in planning and crisis manage- ment were valuable assets when Spangler had to deal with controversial challenges such as the closing of programs, departures of popular coaches and pro- posed mandatory drug testing. When he learned of Spangler's death, Dawson said simply, "He was a good man … a good man." Though wealthy, Spangler had simple tastes. His office was basic. His official car was a compact so modest that it lacked an FM radio. Spangler added one with, of course, his own money. He was also sparse when it came to staff meetings. He thought they were usually time-wasters. An exception was a regular monthly meeting of his staff with the chancellors of the 16 universities. The refreshments were simple and standard, an old-style bottle of Coca-Cola. For lunch, he would often go alone to the cam- pus dining hall to mingle with students. The dining staff named the "Spangler Taco Salad" after his favorite dish. Spangler gave back all his salary from the univer- sity, and his family has poured millions of dollars more, often, as in the case of Robertson, to honor his co-workers and others whose service he admired. Spangler put his widespread business and social connections to use, including many cousins in Cleveland County where his father grew up. One was the late Ruby Hunt, wife of influential legislator, Jack Hunt. Once, when Spangler and then Gov. Jim Hunt were at loggerheads over the university's budget, Ruby invited them to breakfast where her Cleveland County cooking and warm spirit helped bring about a compromise. How did Spangler change my life? Early in 1986, when I was practicing law in Charlotte and trying to recover from two hard-fought but losing congressional campaigns, Spangler called me, saying, "I think you belong in public service," offering me a position working for him at the university, and then giving me experiences I will treasure the rest of my life. Dick Spangler As 3D printing technology is perfected, its application will impact not only industry but also society itself.