LA County Students to Build STEM Skills in Fab Labs

  • By Staff
  • 09/19/17

California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) is gaining a fleet of four fabrication laboratories, or “fab labs,” that are part of a global network of 900 mobile labs. Local middle school students in Los Angeles County will soon be able to visit a fab lab to build STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills first-hand through experiments and activities.

The fab labs were created by CSUDH with help from Toyota, the W.M. Keck Foundation and Motivo Engineering to address several issues described as “the heart of the STEM crisis” by the organizations:

  • The need for qualified science and math teachers in K–12;
  • A lack of STEM experiences that engage students; and
  • A demand for more minorities graduating with STEM degrees and pursuing related work.

Fab labs, for instance, will offer cutting-edge industry tools to engage middle school students and educators in STEM learning. Equipment includes 3D printers and scanners, modeling software, laser cutters and other tools to prototype projects. The labs will support STEM-related activities and competitions for students as well.

Driving the initiative is the idea that CSUDH is part of the K–12 environment, and that the degree to which middle school students feel better prepared impacts their decision to pursue STEM degrees and jobs. The fab labs aim to help students (particularly in low-income, diverse areas) take theoretical concepts and put them into practice through project-based learning.   

In addition, Toyota has donated $4 million to build the Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education within CSUDH’s new Science and Innovation building, according to information from the company.

The unveiling and demonstration for the fab labs and facility will take place on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. at the public university. To learn more about the fab labs, watch the video below.

Featured

  • The First Steps of Establishing Your Cloud Security Strategy

    In this guide, we'll identify some first steps you can take to establish your cloud security strategy. We'll do so by discussing the cloud security impact of individual, concrete actions featured within the CIS Critical Security Controls® (CIS Controls®) and the CIS Benchmarks™.

  • Human Error Remains the Leading Cause of Cloud Data Breaches

    Human error is still one of the biggest threats to cloud security, despite all the technology bells and whistles and alerts and services out there, from multi-factor authentication, to social engineering training, to enterprise-wide integrated cybersecurity platforms, and more.

  • Abstract illustration of a human news reporter interviewing an AI with a microphone

    AI on AI in Education: A Dialogue

    Scholars are doing lots of asking and predicting about the risks and rewards of generative artificial intelligence in school, but has anyone asked the all-knowing chatbots?

  • Pattern of desks with interconnected circles, triangles, and lines

    Classroom Furniture Giveaway Seeks Dream Learning Space Design

    Educators have a chance to design their ideal K-12 learning space in a contest recently announced by classroom furniture manufacturer KI.