San Juan, May 20, 2024 - Lorena Pachiardi, a ninth-grade student, created and developed a prototype of a low-cost prosthetic hand on a three-dimensional (3D) printer. The project was carried out as part of the “Seeds of Success” program of the non-profit organization Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR), which promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education for girls in seventh through ninth grades in public, private and homeschoolers' schools around the island.

As described by the student, who will receive her title of STEM Ambassador for completing this project, the idea came from watching international news about the war in Ukraine. A network of volunteers solicited low-cost prostheses using a three-dimensional (3D) printer for the thousands of children, young people and adults who have suffered limb injuries. 

“Upon being accepted as a student to CienciaPR's ‘Seeds of Triumph’ program for the 2023-2024 academic year and participating in the different workshops and scientific activities of the program, I started looking for information and researching about the e-NABLE community, a worldwide open community where people can collaborate by designing hand or arm prostheses and three-dimensional (3D) printing, and I decided to carry out this project focused on engineering and technology in order to impact communities of children, youth and adults with this need,” described the student. 

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