Pictured at the Fab Lab launch in Pickerington on September 9 are Westerville science teachers Bill Wetta, Julia Swartzel, Valerie Lakes, Lee Smith, and Dwight Back. Inset: Anne Baldwin, Westerville City Schools Career Tech and College Readiness Coordinator, gives State Superintendent Dr. Richard A. Ross a tour of the lab.
Back to school is a bit different this year for several districts throughout Central Ohio, including Westerville, as they introduce laser cutters, 3-D printing and new technology to students through mobile Fab Labs. For the first time, students will be working “on wheels” using sophisticated machines, building robots and creating designs and programs in the new MIT Mobile Fab Labs as part of the new Innovation Generation education and workforce initiative.
These mobile units offer the latest in technology and programming to students, right at their local schools. The Fab Labs expose pupils to state-of-the-art equipment, giving them a chance to experience real work situations in advanced manufacturing and robotics.
“These hands-on labs show the kind of ambitious innovation we are seeing in Ohio Schools because of the Straight A Fund, Governor Kasich’s $250 million investment in education,” said Richard A. Ross, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “This project proves how creative our districts can be in transforming teaching and connecting our students to the workforce, so they are truly prepared for success after high school.”
School districts participating in the advanced manufacturing/robotics curriculum include Columbus City Schools, Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools, Grandview Heights City Schools, Marysville Exempted Village Schools, New Albany-Plain Local Schools, Pickerington Local Schools, Reynoldsburg City Schools, Westerville City Schools, and Upper Arlington City Schools.
Scot McLemore, technical development manager at Honda North America, Inc. believes Innovation Generation – and the work students will do in the Fab Labs – is the type of initiative the manufacturing industry in Central Ohio sorely needs. “We are looking for team members who have strong technical, critical thinking and the soft skills that help our business grow and succeed,” he said. “The training these students will gain through the Fab Lab exposes them to the types of tools and resources that will give them a head start in careers at Honda, and many other Central Ohio companies.”
Innovation Generation was financed by a $14.4 million grant from the Ohio Straight A Fund, established last year by the Ohio General Assembly at the urging of Governor John Kasich. Statewide, the fund made $250 million available for innovation in classrooms across Ohio.
Innovation Generation extends to 15 Central Ohio school districts and focuses on long-term pathways between schools and careers in advanced manufacturing/robotics, business logistics, health care and information technology. This unprecedented collaboration allows students to earn the credentials needed to fill some of Central Ohio’s fastest growing jobs while getting a significant head start toward earning college degrees while still in high school.
Innovation Generation is supported by Columbus State Community College, the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio, Battelle for Kids, Columbus 2020 and a host of community and business partners throughout Ohio to expand postsecondary options for students and close workforce talent gaps that exist across the region in key industry sectors.