Governor Tony Evers, Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, WEDC Secretary Mark Hogan and other key leaders to award grants during statewide tour on Fab Lab Day
Madison, WI- On Monday, May 13, g, Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) announced that 20 school districts throughout the state have been awarded a total of more than $500,000 in grants to establish or expand local fabrication laboratory (fab lab) facilities. MAPS will receive $24, 761 in state funding as part of the award.
“Over the last four years, WEDC has invested over $2.1 million to provide 58 schools across the state the type of equipment needed to help students master the skills that are in high demand in the job market, including manufacturing, technology and engineering,” said Mark R. Hogan, secretary and CEO of WEDC, the state’s lead economic development organization. “These grants represent an important investment in education and workforce development to ensure that Wisconsin students have the skills and training they need to compete for the jobs of the 21st century.”
Governor Evers declared Monday as “Fab Lab Day” in Wisconsin, and to mark the occasion, he and Lt. Governor Barnes, along with WEDC Secretary and CEO Mark R. Hogan and other key state leaders, visited eight school districts to present the grants and celebrate their successes.
A fab lab is a high-technology workshop equipped with computer-controlled manufacturing components such as 3D printers, laser engravers, computer numerical control routers and plasma cutters. Through its Fab Labs Grant Program, WEDC is supporting the purchase of fab lab equipment for instructional and educational purposes by elementary, middle, junior high or high school students.
Other school districts awarded Fab Lab Grants Monday, include:
- Abbotsford (Clark and Marathon Counties), $25,000
- Beloit Turner (Rock County), $25,000
- Brown Deer (Milwaukee County), $25,000
- Fall River (Columbia County), $25,000
- Grafton (Ozaukee County), $25,000
- Hayward (Sawyer County), $25,000
- Lakeland Union High School Consortium (Oneida County), $41,628
- Maple (Douglas County), $22,937
- Milwaukee Public Schools (Milwaukee County), $25,000
- Mount Horeb (Dane County), $25,000
- Necedah (Juneau County), $12,220
- Southern Door (Door County), $25,000
- St. Francis (Milwaukee County), $25,000
- Thorp (Clark County), $24,157
- Three Lakes (Oneida County), $20,640
- Wabeno (Forest County), $25,000
- Wauwatosa (Milwaukee County), $24,056
- Whitehall (Trempealeau County), $50,000
- Wisconsin Rapids (Wood County), $25,000
“We are very excited to be one of the 20 recipients of this competitive grant in the State of Wisconsin,” said MAPS Fab Lab Director Josh Zalewski.
“I was provided the opportunity to meet with a number of local business in the greater Merrill area and find out their needs in terms of employee skills for our future graduates. In this endeavor it was very evident early that Merrill has a strong manufacturing background.
“In planning to develop our Fab Lab to meet the needs of our local employers, I teamed up with with Ann Brigham from CESA 9 to write for this grant. In determining our long term goals we focused on manufacturing and are very pleased to announce that this grant will be used to purchase equipment that will provide training for our students that will allow them a competitive advantage when entering the job market not only locally but globally,” Zalewski explains.
“We are currently looking at options for CNC plasma cutting tables, five tool changing CNC milling machine, 3D scanning technology, and videoconferencing equipment so that our students can communicate with other Fab Labs and businesses around the world. With the support that we have been shown we are dedicated to keep our Fab Lab evolving to meet the continually changing trends in technology and the workforce, this grant provides us the opportunity to take our Fab Lab to the next level. This is a very exciting time for Merrill and I am proud to be a part of it.”
The 20 public school districts are receiving a total of $520,399 in Fab Labs Grants from WEDC. Individual school districts were eligible for up to $25,000, and consortiums of two or more districts were eligible for up to $50,000. The program requires matching funds from each district.
WEDC received 56 applications, which were evaluated based on readiness and long-range planning, curriculum, business and community partnerships, financial need and previous awards. The review committee consisted of experts from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and UW-Oshkosh, as well as three WEDC team members.
In addition to the grants, WEDC has developed a fab labs resource page for its website that provides districts with information and a video on how to set up and equip a fab lab, how to implement best practices to ensure a successful fab lab and more. Content for the page was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Stout and Gateway Technical College.