WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Fort Valley State University's Warner Robins Campus is embracing innovation from all starting points.
The college has a new creative space they say is quite "fab" called the Digital Fabrication Lab, or The Fab Lab.
The Fab Lab has tools and resources to promote digital fabrication. They have everything from 3-D printing to laser cutting available for students, faculty, and the community.
The college partnered with Chevron and The Fab Foundation to create The Fab Lab, who say it is built to design the future.
On Wednesday, they held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and now it is officially open to college students, K-12 students and educators, and the public.
The Fab Lab has a variety of machines such as CNC routers, laser cutters, 3-D printers, and a textiles suite for sewing and embroidery.
Heaven Whitby is the manager at The Fab Lab.
"We're gearing up to be a STEM corridor for Georgia," Whitby said. "Gaining an understanding of what STEM can do for a community has been such an enlightening experience for me. As a native of Macon, Georgia myself, I feel so lucky to be able to bring this to our community."
Govind Kannan is the Vice President of Economic Development and Land Grant Affairs at Fort Valley State.
Kannan spoke about its impact on the community contributing to the greater Fort Valley and Houston County region.
"Students who are interested and have an aptitude for innovation and entrepreneurship can come by and see what we have to offer and use this effectively to really build, create something, and build something incredibly big that all they need to do is imagine and do it," Kannan said.
Xavier Ward is a junior at Fort Valley State and majoring in marketing.
He created trophies with a 3-D printer to present to The Fab Lab's partners and says he is excited to create more.
"It's definitely hands-on," Ward said. "One of the things that I've learned was the 3-D printing and the laser cutter. I absolutely love it, it's great! You can create anything that you want, literally."
The Fab Lab has five demonstration classrooms and aims to foster education, innovation, and entrepreneurship among students, faculty, and the local community.
You can check out The Fab Lab located on Fort Valley State University's Warner Robins Campus on Osigian Blvd.