History in the Making

Announcing the First HBCU Chevron Fab Lab in the Country

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Recently, we had the privilege of witnessing history in the making. On March 27, 2024, a small group from the Fab Foundation traveled to Warner Robins, Georgia to celebrate the grand opening of Fort Valley State University’s brand new Fab Lab—the first HBCU Chevron Fab Lab in the country!

It was a day of firsts, and it would be difficult to overstate its significance. Yet, when LaRhonda Patrick—the first Black person, the first woman, and the youngest person ever to be elected mayor of Warner Robins—took the podium to welcome the public to the ribbon cutting ceremony, it was clear that this historic moment was just the first step of a journey toward something much greater. “This Fab Lab is here to reach generations, not just individuals who graduate from Fort Valley State University but children like my six-year-old, who loves science. You never know where the future will take them just because of the visionaries behind this Lab. My heart is smiling to know that this is here.”

Designed as a collaborative learning space, the new facility is intended to be a catalyst for innovative partnerships, where FVSU students and faculty, regional K-12 students and educators, the nearby Air Force community, local entrepreneurs, and the general public are invited to share their experience, exchange knowledge, and bring new ideas to life through the tools and teachings of digital fabrication. That intention was made clear on the day of the grand opening, as the Fab Lab played host to members of each of those groups. Invitees—young and old, students and professionals, tech-savvy and tech-curious—were treated to an informative tour of the space and interactive demonstrations of the available technology, including workshops on simple circuitry for robotics, an introduction to coding and cybersecurity, the essential role of 3D printing in dentistry, and the use of precision laser technology to create everything from bespoke wooden name tags to personalized acrylic NFC tokens programmed with contact information for convenient sharing during the event. Throughout the day, the Fab Lab’s staff encouraged participants to engage directly with the technology while imagining the many ways in which it might be incorporated into their own studies, careers, and lives.

“One of the things that excites me most about this is the opportunity to become part of the incredible ecosystem that’s being established right here in Middle Georgia,” enthused FVSU President, Dr. Paul Jones. “We made a strategic decision to place the Lab on the Warner Robins campus, rather than the main campus in Fort Valley. We want to see the community in this region thrive. We want to demonstrate to the community that we are partners, and we want to be ongoing partners in their overall success. We need to be full participants. It’s really important that we seize this moment in time. We’re excited about the ways in which we will be able to bring our citizens into this space. Our tagline is, ‘Empower the possible.’ Today was empowering for the whole community.”

FVSU Fab Lab Manager, Heaven Whitby, echoed that sentiment in a touching personal statement brimming with optimism. “This program is here to serve people. All I need is for my community to know that I believe in them and for them to believe in themselves, and we can make anything happen right here. There’s power in believing in yourself, chasing after a dream, having the materials to get something done, and moving forward with your life. I think we were able to show that today.”

A star-studded cast of tech DIYers was on hand to drive that point home through a series of engaging presentations. DJ Chubb E. Swagg (Terrell Williams) provided hand-crafted soundscapes and poignant words of wisdom for all to meditate upon. Tech entrepreneur David Bullock offered engaging personal anecdotes and career insights while assisting in coding demonstrations for students and community members. Dr. Trevor Thomas, DDS, dentist to many of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities and a specialist in full mouth rehabilitation, explained how his professional success relies upon much of the same technology currently in use at FVSU’s Fab Lab. NFL star Tae Daley was in the mix, too. Having been introduced to digital fabrication just a few weeks prior by a friend who works in the Lab, he was already in possession of enough skill and confidence to lead one of the day’s workshops. This multi-talented group did much to convince those in attendance of the value of STEM education in all aspects of life. “I’ve gotten great feedback,” said Heaven. “I heard a lot of people feeling empowered today.”

Underpinning that sense of empowerment, a team of young, talented, and ambitious interns, has been working tirelessly to ensure that the Fab Lab lives up to its promise. And their words and deeds offer ample evidence that they plan on making the Fab Lab work for them, too, as they pursue their own dreams. Ian Swann’s excitement was written all over his smiling face. “This is fantastic! I recognize that this is a great opportunity. So, I’m gonna dive straight into it.” His colleague, LaMarcus Smith, Jr., met the moment with a more sober mix of pride and acknowledgment of his duty. “I feel honored because I get to write my name in the history books. We’re the first interns for the first ever Black STEM Fab Lab. We’re setting the tone, we’re setting the pace, we’re setting the standard. And we know what this means for our community.” The atmosphere was filled with hope and wonder as their fellow interns discussed the seemingly limitless potential of this new facility. “You can create anything that you want, literally,” said Xavier Ward. Haneefat Andanijo carried that point a step further. “The whole idea of a Fab Lab is that you can invent anything you want. And that’s what I tell people: ‘You have the opportunity and all the resources to invent anything.’ I really want to get across to people how STEM helped me and how it can help this community. This Fab Lab will change many lives in the community for years to come.”

When it comes to uplifting the community, Dr. Govind Kannan, Vice President of Economic Development & Land-Grant Affairs at FVSU, also has his sights set on the future. He has been shepherding this project toward a successful completion for years, while, at the same time, seeking out opportunities to integrate the Fab Lab into a broad, regional push for a more tech-centered economy and sustainable community growth. “This Fab Lab has made it possible for us to establish other partnerships. We hope to build even more partnerships with other entities in Middle Georgia, while we continue our partnership with both Chevron and the Fab Foundation. For example, we now also have a mobile STEM Lab, which will further our efforts in strengthening local communities and enhancing their capabilities. We aim to provide STEM education for the regional K-12 education system. We want to educate not just the students but also the teachers. We want to really create an interest in STEM and promote innovation within the region so that we don’t lose the talent. There’s a need for STEM skills in Middle Georgia.”

Hope for a brighter future, belief in the ability of the Middle Georgia community to build that future for themselves, and gratitude for the opportunity to showcase their talents to the world were prominent themes of the day. President Jones summarized these ideas nicely in his closing remarks. “If we thrive, so too will our community. I’m grateful to Chevron and the Fab Foundation for seeing our university as a place where they wanted to invest. I am very grateful that they saw something in us.”

We are so, so excited for our colleagues at Fort Valley State University as they celebrate this historic occasion. We welcome them enthusiastically into the international Fab Lab Network. And we expect to be working alongside them for many years to come, leveraging the transformative power of education, technology, and advanced manufacturing to build equitable, inclusive, and sustainable futures for all members of our global society.