Next spring, Georgia Southern is set to open up one of the first fabrication labs in Georgia. The lab is a small-scale workshop offering personal digital fabrication to students and local businesses.

“The fab lab will contain technological equipment such as a 3D printer and plasma cutters,” said Dr. Dominque Halaby, the Director of the Fabrication Lab project. “Plasma cutting is a process that cuts through electrically conductive materials by means of a hot jet of accelerated plasma. It can melt materials like steel, aluminum, brass and copper.”

Dr. Halaby also wants to use the facilities as an opportunity to support local businesses and entrepreneurs. The Fabrication Lab will be similar to Startup Sauna, a Finish non-profit that helps accelerate startup business development by introducing experienced serial entrepreneurs, investors and media members to budding entrepreneurs. 

“Everything is about jobs. Anything to do with business, that is also what the Georgia Southern Fab Lab will be about when it opens spring next year,” said Dr. Halaby. “Think BIG. One More Time. The development of this program isn’t just about us, its about Statesboro as a whole. Being in a larger classification of business growth and creation. We want people to think its possible, think big. We can do the things we expect to only see out of Atlanta, right here in Georgia Southern.”

The Fabrication Lab will be designed with an eye for being green like many other buildings on campus. The building will include glass wall cubicles, exposed ceilings and a fresh vegetable garden which will grow along the wall outside. The building is also designed with students in mind, by including an entrepreneurial lounge for local business people and students to relax and discuss potential business ideas.