The Bucks County Intermediate Unit’s Fab Lab visited Neidig Elementary School last week, giving students an opportunity to learn from its cutting-edge technology that’s designed to inspire and encourage them to pursue careers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) fields.
Neidig Fab Lab’s work during the week of Jan. 10, which includes students in grades one through five, is linked to its curriculum and helps prepare students for tomorrow’s workforce, which will require them to be skilled in computer science and digital fabrication.
Students in fourth grade, for example, this week’s Fab Lab priority grade, have been learning about magnetic fields and creating a code path. JoAnn Klee’s fourth graders were introduced to Sphero, a spherical robot programmed to roll around and perform different functions using an iPad App.
Younger students have been studying the importance of the oceans or creating buildings for communities. Some of the work is done on a laser engraver or other digital fabrication equipment.
“This is a great experience for our students,” said Stacey DiCicco, the Neidig teacher who signed her school up for the program that’s in great demand. “This gives them a real hands-on opportunity to discover something they might like to pursue.”
She praised Adrienne Romano, coordinator of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit’s Fab Lab program, who’s been teaching the classes.
“The exposure to these technologies really prepares them for how significant the digital fabrication labs are in our industries and may be used in a future career,” Mrs. Romano said. “Understanding the equipment better is a definite plus. We need more students well-rounded in their knowledge of these technologies.”
The lab is a transit van that transports several carts full of equipment such as 3D printers, a laser engraver, CNC router, vinyl cutter, and a variety of robotics equipment. It also has laptop computers with specialized software programs to control and interact with the equipment.
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