# History In the Spring of 2013, Jon Schull co-founded e-NABLE a network of volunteers creating free open-source 3D printed prosthetics for children and underserved populations. He was soon joined in Rochester by Skip Meetze, a retired Human Factors Engineer. e-NABLE became a global movement with chapters in over 50 countries. The Rochester e-NABLE Lab (Re-NABLE) became one of those chapters. In January 2017, Schull and Meetze moved their lab from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to Vertus High School, where they were generously offered a Makerspace with 3D printers to continue a summer workshop collaboration (see: USA Today, [Students’ summer job: Making prosthetic hands.](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/07/31/students-summer-job-making-prosthetic-hands/30976597/)). In the Spring of 2017, they used residual funding from Schull’s to employ a few of these students to accelerate the development of Skip Meetze’s Gripper Thumb hand. In the Summer of 2017, the lab hosted two interns (Melvin Cruz, Founder of e-NABLE Guala Honduras, and Prashant Gade, Founder of Inali Foundation Jaipuhr India). Melvin significantly upgraded the lab and the instructional program for two cohorts of trainees who learned the craft *and* customized and delivered three devices for three amputees in Honduras ([video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_ywh4T9AKs)). In the Fall of 2017, Melvin mentored 7 Vertus Techs from the summer training program to produce 50 Re-NABLE Gripper Thumb hands for a November field trial Prashant conducted in India with mentorship from Jon and design contributions from Skip. Summer 2018 we worked with two wonderful interns. Miguel Rivera who developed a new elbow, and Chang Liu, a prosthetics graduate student from the University of Strathclyde with whom we developed some new socketing techniques. [Jon and Melvin also went to Honduras to pilot ](http://e-nable.org/2018/09/02/lessons-from-honduras-august-2018/)a e-NABLE learning hands program with new partner Matt Campana, whose company Corporate Motivation runs an e-NABLE-inspired [Hands of Gratitude Program](https://www.hands-of-gratitude.com/). Jon also spoke at a [conferences in France](http://e-nable.org/2018/08/01/founder-jon-schull-visits-enable-france-here-are-his-key-takeaways/) and New York. Highlights of Fall **2018** included Jon’s speaking engagements at the Moscow MakerFaire, Construct3D in Georgia, and [St. Bonaventure University](https://airtable.com/tblcJg8klpB9bMBIk/viwN7OZPMwV7T30fP/recRvcU6zS2imH0Su), the emergence of Western New York Enable, [the lab’s appearance at the Rochester MakerFaire,](http://e-nable.org/re-nable/rochester-enable-lab-goes-to-the-rochester-maker-faire/) and the debut of the [e-NABLE Atlas](https://kumu.io/e-NABLE/the-e-nable-network). Research, development, and stewardship of the global e-NABLE movement continues apace through further development of Skip Meetze’s adjustowrap[ arm and Gripper Hand](https://hub.e-nable.org/s/motogripper-project/) (now in use on 3 continents), consulting on a new e-NABLE Chapter in Uttar Pradesh India, and administration of the community-governed [EnableFund.](http://opencollective.com/enablefund) In **2019**, we were joined by Vertus science teacher Andrea Santiago Boyd, and by Kyle Reeser. Kyle taught the Summer program, ran the extra-curricular afternoon program in the Fall, prototyped a portable printer in a suitcase, and spent 6 weeks working on prosthetics in Rwanda . Andrea launched the intra-curricular 3D printing course. Melvin “re-wired” the lab with 3DPrinterOS. Skip and Jon released [the Moto-Gripper. ](https://hub.e-nable.org/s/motogripper-project/)And Ben Rubin (e-NABLE communications And then **2020** happened. The Covid crisis led to the shut-down of Vertus School in March (they hope to reopen in September). Skip and Jon began working on Personal Protective Equipment with the [BEMask.org](https://bemask.org) team. Kyle began working from home on his new consulting business. Andrea began applying to graduate programs. Melvin went to Costa Rica for a 2-week vacation that became a 6-month “Covid retreat.” And [Ben Rubin, e-NABLE’s Media Coordinator](https://www.loomio.org/d/V4tsvyCr/media-coordination-proposal-revised-) returned from Thailand and Mexico to his ancestral home in nearby Rush, New York, and became a valued member of the Rochester Enable team. As Fall 2020, approaches, Covid uncertainties remain, but we are all active and productive. The Rochester Enable Lab at Vertus School is no more, but our printers have been making PPE, and Skip and Jon are excitedly working on a (we hope) breakthrough mask in collaboration with Kelly Cheatle of [Airigami.com](https://airigami.com). Melvin has graduated from RIT and is starting a full time job, but is going to continue to serve as “printer whisperer” for Skip and Jon, who are working from their respective homes and in the AIrigami studio. The saga continues. ## Organizational Rochester Enable Limited is a New York State domestic not-for-profit corporation established in 2017. Its mission is to support the Rochester Enable Lab at Vertus High School, and to advance the global e-NABLE movem ### Board of Directors | <br><br> | <br><br> | <br><br> | <br><br> | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jon Schull<br>President<br><br> | Skip Meetze<br>Vice-President<br><br> | Steve Mooney<br>Secretary<br><br> | Martin Presberg<br>CFO<br><br> |