CSU Stanislaus held a grand opening ceremony for the Dr. Allan Greenberg and Dr. Ellen Junn Warrior Fab Lab April 24, which featured a variety of speakers and a formal ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Fab Lab, short for Fabrication Laboratory, is a makerspace open to Stan State staff, students and faculty to create unique projects and have their ideas come to fruition.
There are numerous pieces of technology available for the Stan State community to use in the Fab Lab, some of which include; laser cutters, 3D printers, button presses, sticker makers, an embroidery machine, a heat press, a VR station, a green screen, 3D scanners, iPads, and Adesso monitors loaded with numerous educational software.
Jake Weigel, an Associate Professor of Art at Stan State, is the Founding Director of the Fab Lab. In his speech, he shared how honored he was to have worked with so many people from across the Stan State community.
“Our goal has been to create a space where students, staff, faculty, administrators and community members can experiment with creativity and turn their ideas into reality,” he said. “Working with this equipment opens doors to new ideas.”
Melissa Parga (senior, Art & Sociology) a Fab Lab student assistant who also spoke at the event, expressed how excited she was about the expansion of technology and the experience that future generations will have to experiment with.
“As a student assistant, I feel pride and joy in being part of an establishment that has new skill sets and great opportunities for staff, students and future educators,” Parga explained. “Our team will support and aid you in whatever way we can.”
Parga said the Fab Lab is a place where everyone can come together and create in a DIY space. She also suggests taking advantage of all the feedback you can get and signing up for the Canvas page loaded with great information, as well as every piece of equipment in the Fab Lab.
“It will come in handy in the future, all these skills you can put on your resume,” she explained, “as long as you know how to use a 3D printer there are plenty of jobs out there.”
President Ellen Junn and her husband Dr. Allan Greenberg, both of whom are primary donors and supporters of the Fab Lab, spoke at the ceremony.
“It was very exciting to me that we established a fabrication lab here at Stan State,” Junn said. “This facility will provide students with a dynamic environment for learning and discovery while also providing them access to digital technology and state of the art equipment.”
Prior to utilizing the Fab Lab, users are required to complete an acknowledgement agreement and to enroll in the Fab Lab’s Canvas page. With that, they complete a Safety Module, along with modules corresponding to the equipment they plan on using.
For the 2023 Spring semester, the lab is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, and closed weekends. Currently, the lab only charges for the materials used in projects; prices can be found here on their website.
If people have any questions, they are encouraged to speak with a student assistant in person in the lab during regular business hours or they can email Fab Lab directly at [email protected].
