Bringing innovative solutions to schools and communities, Makerspaces, Digital Fabrication Labs, and Mobile Fab Labs, give learners of all ages the opportunities to see themselves as creators and inventors. As part of the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC), TIES has brought 12 years of leadership experience in digital fabrication to operate the STEM-on-the-Go Mobile Digital Fabrication Van.
During the 2023-2024 school year, TIES sponsored a DoD STEM Ambassador, Mikki Harris, Associate Professor at Morehouse College, to scale and design the STEM-on-the-Go curriculum for grades 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The curriculum provides pre-work guides to prepare for STEM challenges, step-by-step guides for educators and detailed instruction, including the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) concepts. The learning adds a layer of innovation using AI so that learners can understand what AI is, how they may use AI, and how they can design and develop technology using AI. The lessons allow learners to code a microchip with a voice recognition sensor, so that voice commands can control a circuit. This curriculum provides exposure to AI’s technology, development, as well as the associated ethical and social implications.
Mobile Fab Labs, like the STEM-on-the-Go Van, bring digital fabrication technology to schools through a variety of transport modes; cargo vans, semi-trailer, and box vans. Over the last four years, our Mobile Digital Fabrication Manager has provided trans-disciplinary learning experiences for over 10,000 students throughout ten states.
Other digital fabrication solutions like Makerspaces are instructional spaces for tinkering and inventing and are often found in pre-school and elementary school classrooms. Or Digital Fabrication Labs (Fab Labs), which house industry-standard equipment like large format 3-D printers, laser cutters and computer numerically controlled (CNC) Routers. Fab Labs are an educational space where hands-on learning, engineering design, math principals, science concepts, and career and technical training are seamlessly integrated. Fab Labs are found in middle and high school, colleges and universities, and community centers.
For more information on TIES’ Digital Fabrication, please contact Toby Bothel, Executive Vice-President for Engineering and Digital Fabrication. Toby can be reached at tobybothel@tiesteach.org.
Posted on