SAMPLE PROGRAM AND COMMUNITIES SERVED
LARGE FAB LAB
Communities a FabLab might serve:
- Public school children
- Private school children
- General public This group will consist of people who just want to make things or learn new skills or make products in the lab. This group could include college or university students who will want to work in the lab.
- Artists/Crafters The traditional artisans and crafters should be encouraged to come and experiment with the tools and processes of the fab lab. The lab doesn’t replace their traditional work, but it augments and broadens the palette of what they can do in their work. It would be great to have artists experiment with the tools in the fab lab. Again, an artist in residency program might be really interesting—offer several active artists one or two month program in which they have access to the entire lab with the technical gurus to help support them. If they produce some high level art or crafts for exhibit in the lab, and outside in public spaces, this will help you show off the capabilities of the lab, get the artists’ endorsements, and build the fab lab reputation in the public. You might want to sweeten this deal by offering a stipend for the month, or to fund the materials they will need for their art work for the month, or something along those lines.
- University Students Always great to have classes and students working in the lab. They can bring great creativity and new approaches to making things to the environment. They can also be hugely useful as technical resources and as teachers!
- Entrepreneurs This group includes the college or university students, and young entrepreneurs who are inventive and creative and need a space and a place and a community to support their invention. It might be interesting to have an entrepreneur in residency program—offer several active entrepreneurs a one or two month program in which they have access to the entire lab with the technical gurus to help support them. They can produce some interesting inventions for exhibit in the lab, and outside in public spaces, this will help you show off the capabilities of the lab, get the entrepreneurs’ endorsements, and build the fab lab reputation in the public. You might want to sweeten this deal by offering a stipend for the month, or to fund the materials they will need for their invention work for the month, or something along those lines. Another approach would be to offer a special Inventor his/her own group time in the lab over a one year period. He/she could invite peers, or clients to work in the fab lab on special programs for the year.
- Government or Corporate Employees This might be a group who will find new uses for the lab, and new experts to volunteer and work in the lab for you, and they will spread the word about the lab to the larger community. Their endorsement and adoption of the lab can be important to the success of the fab lab.
You could encourage experimentation and usage of the fab lab in the employee community by putting up a contest/challenge for them to use the fab lab. Something like– we’ll give a prize of money to the team that comes up with the best community project made in the fab lab and we (whichever organization is hosting) will help you implement it. For example, making benches for a community park, or desks for a low income school, etc.
Personnel for a Super Fab Lab:
If you want to accommodate school groups of approximately 15 to 20 children per group, you should have two technical/guru support people working in the lab. If you have the extended hours I have outlined below, I think you need two shifts each day. So your staff would include:
- One logistics, planning, outreach and communications manager
- Three to four technical gurus/ support staff for mentoring, teaching, maintaining and supervising the use of the equipment. They would work two to a shift, with two shifts per day: 8:30- 16:30 and 13:30 – 21:30. The three hour overlap in time would be used for lab maintenance, professional development and project/group visit preparation.
- One technical manager– to maintain computers, equipment, network, and technical problem solving.
Sample Super Fab Lab Working Hours:
Monday through Friday, 8:30AM – 21:30PM
Saturday, 10:00 – 17:00 (two tech gurus would work on alternate Saturdays)
Sunday CLOSED
A sample schedule of weekly activities:
Monday
8:30 Lab opens, preparation for school sessions
9:00-13:00 Public School Sessions
1:30-3:30 Entrepreneurs Session
3:30 – 5:30 Special Program Session (like Special Needs groups), Entrepreneurs session continues, professional development and preparatory time for staff
5:30 – 9:00 Employee time/Workforce training
9:30 Lab clean up
Tuesday
8:30 Lab opens, preparation for school sessions
9:00-13:00 Private School Sessions
1:30-3:30 Artists/Crafters Session
3:30 – 5:30 Artist in Residency time, Artists/Crafters session continues, professional development and preparatory time for staff
5:30 – 9:00 Open Hours for General Public
9:30 Lab clean up
Wednesday
8:30 Lab opens, preparation for school sessions
9:00-13:00 Public School Sessions
1:30-3:30 Entrepreneur Session
3:30 – 5:30 Entrepreneur in Residency time, Entrepreneur session continues, professional development and preparatory time for staff
5:30 – 9:00 Open Hours for General Public
9:30 Lab clean up
Thursday
8:30 Lab opens, preparation for school sessions
9:00-13:00 Private School Sessions
1:30-3:30 Artists/Crafters Session
3:30 – 5:30 Artist in Residency time, Artists/Crafters session continues, professional development and preparatory time for staff
5:30 – 9:00 Open Hours for General Public
9:30 Lab clean up
Friday
8:30 Lab opens, preparation for school sessions
9:00-13:00 Public School Sessions
1:30-3:30 Special Program Session (maybe offer classes in one skill), professional development and preparatory time for staff
3:30 – 5:00 FAB ACADEMY PREPARATION
5:00 – 9:00 FAB ACADEMY CLASS
9:30 Lab clean up
Saturday
10:00 – 17:00 Open Hours for the public and for employees
Sunday
CLOSED