Introduction to 3D Printing
A hands-on workshop
Expert of the month
Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Ivey Business School, Western University
Editor in Chief, Hardware X
Joshua M. Pearce is the John M. Thompson Chair in Information Technology and Innovation at the Thompson Centre for Engineering Leadership & Innovation and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He holds appointments at Ivey Business School and the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Western University in Canada. He runs the Free Appropriate Sustainability Technology research group. His research concentrates on the use of open source appropriate technology (OSAT) to find collaborative solutions to problems in sustainability and to reduce poverty. His research spans areas of engineering of solar photovoltaic technology, open hardware, and distributed recycling and additive manufacturing (DRAM) using RepRap 3-D printing, but also includes policy and economics. His research is regularly covered by the international and national press. According to Elsevier’s citation metrics last year he was in the top 0.06% most cited scientists globally and is continually ranked in the top 0.1% for his accessible research on Academia.edu. He is the editor-in-chief of HardwareX, the first journal dedicated to open source scientific hardware and the author of the Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs, Create, Share, and Save Money Using Open-Source Projects, and To Catch the Sun, an open source book of inspiring stories of communities coming together to harness their own solar energy, and how you can do it too!
Seminar/Workshop
Friday, May 1, 2026 at 11:30-3:30 pm EST
de Grandpré Communications Centre, the Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital).
*Click here for directions
In this interactive workshop, participants will learn the basics of 3D printing, including different types of printers, materials, software, and the main steps of the printing workflow. The session will be led by Dr. Joshua M. Pearce, the John M. Thompson Chair in Information Technology and Innovation at Western University, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and a leading expert in open hardware, additive manufacturing, and sustainable technology. This is a great opportunity to explore how 3D printing can support research, especially as many community members already have access to printers through McGill libraries, maker spaces, and individual labs. No prior experience is required.