Fort Valley State University, in conjunction with Chevron and the Fab Foundation, established a Digital Fabrication Lab on the Georgia HBCU campus on March 27. The new facility, dubbed “The Fab Lab,” will be a space for students to experiment “with state-of-the-art-tools, machinery, and resources designed to empower individuals to transform ideas into reality through digital fabrication, rapid prototyping, and hands-on learning.”

The Fab Lab is available to the greater Warner Robins community, not just students at Fort Valley State. That includes K-12 schools, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and the public. FVSU realized the lab through funding from the Chevron HBCU Social Equity project and the Fab Foundation. The university held an official grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the event.

“The most important aspect of today was having people from our community come to the Fab Lab and gain an understanding of how they cane make this space their own,” said the Fab Lab manager Heaven Whitby. “I truly believe that through our demonstrations [today], we can provide perspective shifts on approaching STEM in our community… We're extremely excited about that, the space is open to the public as well. It's not just here to serve our university students and staff as well as K thru 12 students, but it's also open to our Middle Georgia community as well.”

Attendees at the grand opening got to see technological demonstrations, including 3D printing and laser cutting. There were also several keynote speakers and guests. Fort Valley State president Dr. Paul Jones, Warner Robins mayor LaRhonda Patrick, FVSU vice president of Economic Development and Land-Grant Affairs Govind Kannan, and Chevron's Senior Investment Advisor Karen Rawls all showed up at the ceremony.

Whitby, another one of the distinguished guests, explained to the audience one of her creations using the Fab Lab technology: the head of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

“You can sit a succulent in that if you wanted to,” Whitby said. “And the reason why I made it hollow like that is because I was research how [you] can use 3-D print molds, so [you] can actually use that one plastic one to make planters out of cement that your can place in your garden for example, and that would be a succulent Nefertiti head planter made out of cement if you want to.”

Fort Valley State's collaboration with Chevron continues to cement it as the top public HBCU in Georgia. The university has held that title for the past six years in the U.S. News & World Report.

“For Valley State University's consistent recognition as the number one public HBCU in Georgia is a testament to our unwavering commitment to providing quality education and opportunities for our students,” said President Jones. “This accomplishment is a reflection of our dedicated faculty, staff, and students who continually strive for excellence in education and beyond. We are also thrilled to be ranked as the top public institution for social mobility in the state, emphasizing our commitment to providing access to education and empowering our students to achieve their dreams.”