In the movie “Terminator 2,” the robot T-1000 takes shape from a puddle of metallic goo, rising from the ground to form the shape of a human.rnrnIt’s this scene that inspired Joseph DeSimone and his colleagues to pioneer a method of 3-D printing that’s 25 to 100 times faster than existing technology, which – much like an inkjet printer – uses computers to produce objects by stacking thin layers of material.rnrn“3-D printing is actually a misnomer,” DeSimone said at a TedX talk in 2015. “It’s actually 2-D printing over and over again … There are mushrooms that grow faster than 3-D printed parts.”rnrnDeSimone’s technique, called “continuous liquid interface production,” allows objects – just like the T-1000 – to rise from a pool of resin.rnrnThe technology uses pulses of light, which solidify the resin, and bursts of oxygen, which prevent the material from hardening, to create objects at a speed competitive with traditional manufacturing.rnrnOutside the laboratory, DeSimone is known for his work as a mentor, having guided more than 30 underrepresented minority students through the completion of Ph.D.s in chemistry or chemical engineering.rnrnIn 2005, he joined a former mentee to launch a chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers on the University of North Carolina’s campus.

The fight for feminism in STEM
“From that day, I have been committed to helping other…