The advent of 3D printing has prompted advancements in many fields, one of which is prosthetics.

The Iowa State Department of Engineering will host a lecture Tuesday by Michael C. McAlpine, the Benjamin Mayhugh associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota, who will speak on how 3D printing has change the prosthetics field. 

The lecture will focus on how biology, more specifically bionic nanomaterials, are being used in the 3D printing process to create prosthetics that are three dimensional and flexible instead of rigid and brittle.

The lecture will begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday in 1235 Howe Hall. McAlpine’s lecture is expected to last about an hour.