BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - A new hands-on learning center is opening up today at Cal State Bakersfield to promote and support STEM education on campus. Students in grades k-12 will also get a chance to work with the project-based learning programs.
The Fabrication LAb, or Fab Lab, opens today at 4 p.m. and the community is invited to join the celebration. The new center will combine with the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering. The new science lab was made possible by Chevron.
The grant from Chevron will provide new opportunities for students to use and experiment with cutting-edge science and technology tools.
The center will also include digital fabrication tools and prototyping machines.
“CSUB has been a center for STEM education in Kern County for almost half a century,” said Dr. Anne Houtman, Dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering at CSUB. “The debut of the Fab Lab at CSUB highlights our continued commitment to lifelong learning for better lives and better careers.”
The lab is open to students and community members. The Fab Lab will offer opportunities to use laser cutters, machinery for creating circuit boards and precision parts, and a suite of programming tools, according to a release from the university.
“We are excited to partner with these world-class organizations to open this state-of-the-art Fab Lab here at CSUB,” said Blair Blackwell, manager of corporate education programs at Chevron. “Investing in STEM is a national imperative and we at Chevron are dedicated to working with our partners to provide cutting-edge tools that foster innovation for the benefit of K-12 students around the country.”