By Rick Lindfors

Galen Ettlin Reports

Forget about traditional printing, the University of Oregon’s science library has a new tinker toy that brings a whole new dimension to what you print.

In the basement of Onyx Hall, have access to the biggest collection of scientific resources. And as of September, there’s a new 3D printer in the family. This printer melts plastic like a hot glue gun and layers the plastic into three dimensional objects. Students and faculty who design 3D concepts on the computer can email their designs or bring a flash drive to submit a print job. This way, the printer bridges the gap between virtual images and reality allowing once intangible objects to be printed into something you can hold.

One grad student used the printer to replicate a piece of the earth’s crust, something science librarian Dean Walton is excited about.

“The slab itself is big,” Walton says. “It’s 600 kilometers long, 300 kilometers wide and 100 kilometers thick and 60 kilometers underground. That’s something we will never ever see yet we can use computers and analysis such as seismic waves to image it, create a model of it and print it. That is just, to me, it’s mind blowing.”

The printer may have cost the university $2,400, but printing in 3D is more economical than you might think. An ink cartridge can set you back as much as $90 to $100 while a large spool of 3D printing plastic costs about $40. After printing every day for two months, the science library only used one spool.

And Walton says as long as an idea is original and research oriented, anyone can use the printer.

“Our view is that we’re a library; we’re here for the general university community. So our goal was to actually have a 3D printer that anyone with UO status can use,” he says.

If you have an idea for a print job or just want to see how the printer works, you can stop by the front desk of the science library.

Science faculty are currently using the printer to replicate fossils since the printed models are much more durable and replaceable.

By Rick Lindfors

Elizabeth Schimmels reports

Flu season is sweeping through the UO campus at full force. This year, however, it’s not just  your regular Flu virus. Swine Flu is back.

In the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic, nearly 300,000 people died. This year, Swine Flu (H1N1) has returned and is affecting the nation, even killing a Eugene boy in December.

Doctors at the University of Oregon Health Center have reported several cases of the Swine Flu since winter term began.

“After the pandemic ended in 2010, there’s still been some evidence of H1N1 around,” says UO Health Center nurse Rebecca Hagerwaite. “This year, we’ve had another resurgence of H1N1. Last year, we only had a few cases and now we find out that the primary cases of Influenza this year are H1N1 strain.”

Symptoms of the Swine Flu are similar to the common cold, only more severe. H1N1 is distinguishable by body aches and really high fever. If the symptoms persist, Swine Flu can turn into a more serious illness such as pneumonia.

“One thing is to stay away from anyone who has symptoms or if you know for sure that they have H1N1. Anyone who has any symptoms, runny nose, fever, cough, make sure that you’re washing your hands frequently. You can also get Flu vaccine which contains protection from H1N1,” Hagerwaite says. “It’s effective about eight days after you receive the vaccine.”

If you think you have symptoms of swine flu, contact the health center as soon as possible. The health center administers Flu vaccines Monday through Friday for $15.