u/ResearchInsider

I have access to a decent 3D printer, and I’m trying to come up with small, science‑y things to print for students and a few early‑career friends.

I’ve looked online (Thingiverse, MakersWorld) and seen everything from tube racks and pipette holders to little molecular models and mini lab equipment -- but I'm mostly curious what people here have actually liked in real life, things that didn't just end up in a drawer, and made you think "okay, this is actually pretty cool"?

Bonus points if you have links to designs you like! I'm happy to share a list of what I've found so far in the comments.

A tech-transfer-based team I work with put together a dashboard that pulls public data from PubMed, RePORTER for any NIH grant number and highlights potential issues (PMCID, embargo dates, foreign affiliations) in one place.

This was built in response to emerging requirements for FY2025-2027 and will likely be most useful for any PIs or research admins who are tracking a portfolio of awards for reporting purposes.

Genuinely curious if this kind of thing is useful — or if everyone already has this covered with internal scripts/spreadsheets.

If anyone wants to try it on their own award and share what it gets wrong or what’s missing, here’s the link: https://pubs.piestar.com/g/[awardnumber]. No account necessary.

A team I work with put together a dashboard that pulls public data from PubMed, RePORTER for any NIH grant number and highlights potential issues (PMCID, embargo, foreign affiliations) in one place.

This was built in response to emerging requirements for FY2025-2026 around tracking PMCIDs, embargo dates, and foreign components. Genuinely curious if this kind of thing is useful — or if everyone already has this covered with internal scripts/spreadsheets.

If anyone wants to try it on their own award and share what it gets wrong or what’s missing, here’s the link: https://pubs.piestar.com/g/[awardnumber]