Page 75 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2022

GIVING BACK
Exciting things are happening at the FABLAB in
Jackson County. Created through a $1.2 million grant in cooperation with the Fab Foundation, Chevron Pascagoula and Jackson County School District, the facility focuses
on the integration of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art & architecture, and math) skills and equipment into the classroom curriculum.
Since FABLAB’s beginning, 65,000 students and teachers have been served in classrooms, at the Lab and summer camps
“We offer free visits to schools, lesson planning support and free professional development opportunities to help make the most of each experience,” says Director John Mundy, PhD. “We service Jackson and Harrison Counties free of charge in response to our partnerships with Chevron, Chemours, Mississippi Power and other industrial investors.”
FABLAB works with business partners to offer low-cost STEAM-based summer camps at a variety of locations. The lab has two mobile units – a 34-foot trailer with a truck and a van that is used to transport equipment to schools and community events.
The FABLAB consists of a suite of digital fabrication and rapid prototyping machines, including a large computer numerical control (CNC), router (the ShopBot), a vinyl cutter, a laser engraver, an electronics work bench, a 3D printer, and the accompanying computers and software for design, programming, and machine communications.
“This equipment allows students to use computer-aided design to make almost anything they can imagine,” Mundy said. “FABLABs across the world share the same foundation of machines and processes and are linked through video conferencing and online tools.”
4700 Col. Vickrey Rd., Vancleave
228.283.3951
www.fablabjacksoncounty.org
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of FABLAB
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