Fab Lab
STEAM Education on the Go
The Mobile Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory) is one of only 50 in the United States and is designed to inspire and encourage students to pursue careers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) fields.
In 2018, there were over 300,000 STEAM/STEM related jobs in Pennsylvania, and nearly 17,000 of those jobs were unfilled. This need is so great, with projections of it continuing, that Governor Wolf's PAsmart initiative has expand to science and technology education.
Right: Judd Pittman, Special Consultant to the Secretary of Education for STEM, Pennsylvania Department of Education, helps introduce the new Mobile Fab Lab at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
What is a Mobile Fab Lab
The lab itself is a transit van that transports several carts full of equipment such as 3D printers, a laser engraver, CNC router, vinyl cutter, and a variety of robotics equipment. The Fab Lab also has laptop computers with specialized software programs to control and interact with the equipment.
The lab will visit schools for a one-week residency and will visit regional homeless shelters on the weekends and during the summer. A designated Fab Lab Program Coordinator accompanies the van and works with each site to provide age-appropriate curricula utilizing the equipment in ways supporting 21st century learning.
Support the Fab Lab
The Bucks IU is seeking partners to help guide and sustain the Mobile Fab Lab for years to come.
The Mobile Fab Lab Leadership Team meets throughout the year to ensure the Lab is meeting its goals, discuss sustainability plans, and celebrate the successes of the Lab.
Partnerships are built on a continuous basis - for more info click on the following link:
