Engineering Students Make Prosthetic Hands for Children

Published on June 03, 2021

Student assembles a prosthetic hand

Morris County Vocational School Students in Part-Time Program Use Technology to Help Others

 A dozen prosthetic hands are being shipped to children in Malawi in southeastern Africa thanks to students enrolled in the Share Time Engineering Design & Advanced Manufacturing (EDAM) program at Morris County Vocational School District.

Working in partnership with County College of Morris professor Tom Roskop, the students used a 3-D printer to manufacture the components and then assembled the hands at home. 

Last month, the dozen hands were shipped to e-NABLE, a non-profit organization that helps volunteers create the hands using 3-D printers, and then ships the prosthetics to recipients all over the world. These hands are inexpensive to create, which is a benefit to the children who will outgrow the limbs as they grow. 

The Morris County Vocational School District (www.mcvts.org) provides vocational and enrichment programs that inspire and prepare students to succeed in today’s world and pursue tomorrow’s opportunities. The Share Time Engineering Design & Advanced Manufacturing Program, located and in partnership with County College of Morris, is a two-year, half-day public high school program.

Prosthetic hand with assembly tools

Students enrolled in EDAM earn certificates in Mechanical Computer Aided Drafting and Engineering Technology and 32 college credits, along with their high school diploma.

High School sophomores may apply to a Share Time Program of the Morris County Vocational School District during the open application period from January to March. For more information, contact Gina DiDomenico, Community Relations at [email protected] or 973-627-4600 ext. 277. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @MorrisCountyVSD.

Photos courtesy of Professor Tom Roskop, Asst. Professor, Engineering, County College of Morris.

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