Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Mobile Fab Lab Brings "STEAM Education on the Go"

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 09/24/19

Bucks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania debuted a new mobile fab lab that brings “STEAM education on the go.”

The mobile fab lab is a van equipped with the latest in science technology that will prepare students for the workforce. The lab’s first stop is at Seylar Elementary School where it will stay for a week and then move on to other elementary and middle schools in all 13 county school districts for week-long residencies.

Bucks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania debuted a new mobile fab lab that brings “STEAM education on the go.”

The equipment is unloaded and placed in a cafeteria or gym for students and teachers to use. A designated specialist is assigned to the van and tailors age-appropriate curricula for each school utilizing the equipment.

Students can look forward to working with:

  • Two 3-D printers;
  • A silhouette portrait fabricator;
  • A vinyl cutter;
  • A computer numerical controller router;
  • A laser cutter; and
  • Various robotics equipment.

“The Mobile Fab Lab will support innovative teaching and learning in schools throughout all of Bucks County,” Bucks County IU Executive Director Mark Hoffman told a local newspaper. “Having a van that can move between schools allows the districts to bring cutting-edge, modern equipment directly to the students and their teachers. This helps to ensure that Bucks County schools are preparing young people today for the jobs they’ll hold tomorrow.”

The van was purchased and equipped using a $412,000 PAsmart grant from the state’s Department of Education.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.