Notre Dame High School is expanding what it means to be a woman in STEM with the creation of its new “fab lab.”
The “fab lab” – short for fabrication laboratory – is designed to give students a chance to produce marketable items by using professional equipment that is usually confined to specialty businesses. The lab will have eight 3D printers and milling machines for shaping and cutting metal and other hard materials – including the add-ons to produce custom circuit boards for electronic devices. The lab also has a pro laser cutter that can be used for precision cuts and engravings and a large professional sticker printer that can also be used to make vinyl signs and print heat transfers for custom clothing and apparel.
“The initial idea came from the fact that we wanted to increase our engagement in STEM programs, but we also wanted to make sure that we were fostering an interest in rational applications of these skills,” David Brosch, STEM coordinator at Notre Dame, said. “We thought that business was a really great way to do that… to create new kinds of opportunities and interest outside of some of the more conventional things like writing code or eSports.”
The equipment needed for this lab is not cheap though, and Brosch knew outside funding would be needed. This led him to apply for a grant from the Boniface Foundation, which was awarded to the school at the beginning of the term. The money awarded is approximately $150,000, though the school will not receive it all at once. Rather, it will be split up into three portions of $50,000 that will be distributed over the course of three years.
Since receiving the first portion of the grant, the lab has started to take shape.
“We took a classroom – it was a large class, huge windows, a really good spot, tile floor. We didn’t have to actually build the lab itself, but putting it together is a pretty huge task,” Brosch said.
Luckily, he has not had to undertake the daunting project alone.
“It’s really, really neat, the girls have really done a lot to put together everything,” Brosch said. “During our open house event a couple of weeks ago, there were girls who came in to … construct the 3D printers. I’ve had girls that have done everything from carry boxes to help me come up with new ideas. The girls have always been a part of the planning, and that’s really, really something that we like to do with everything that we do in the STEM department here at Notre Dame.”
The lab is not yet open for student use, but by spring semester, the school’s 3D Design class will be taking full advantage of the new space. Next school year, a new class centered entirely around the “fab lab” will be added to Notre Dame’s course selections.
“(The) course is going to be called Business and Product Design, and (it) is all about the process-to-product of coming up with an idea,” Brosch explained.
Students not enrolled in either course will still be permitted to use the lab for specific things. For example, if one of the 30+ clubs the school has wants to use a machine to make a t-shirt for their organization, they are more than welcome to do so. Additionally, the school’s robotics team will be utilizing the lab as their own current lab – though full of saws and drill presses – lacks fabrication equipment.
All in all, Notre Dame’s new fabrication laboratory is a positive addition to the school.
“We want to meet our students where they’re at and give them new skills that they can take into not just the university system, but the job market in general. We want to foster this idea of entrepreneurship and the American dream, and I think the way to do that is to make them feel independent,” Brosch said. “Our school follows this mission of building confident, compassionate Christian women leaders and that confidence piece is really helped along by the idea that you can support yourself (and) you can do really, really neat things if you’re just given the opportunity.”