Chevron, Jackson County School District and the Fab Foundation joined together to bring a $1.2 million Fab Lab project to the Gulf Coast.
Fab Lab, short for fabrication laboratory, and was born out of MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms. Fab Labs provide widespread access to modern means for invention and serve as a place for children to play, create, learn and invent. The Fab Lab will be another tool for children interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
The unveiling was held in the Vancleave High School gymnasium, where students were able to experiences they will have in the Fab Lab when it is completed at the end of the year. The mobile Fab Lab is expected to be complete by the summer of 2017.
Some of the features in the Fab Lab include a laser cutter that makes 2D and 3D structures, a sign cutter that plots in copper to make antennas and flex circuits, a high-resolution NC milling machine that makes circuit boards and precision parts, a large wood router for building furniture and housing, and a suite of electronic components and programming tools for low-cost, high-speed microcontrollers for on-site rapid circuit prototyping.