STEM-focused family event returns to WMU-Grand Rapids
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.鈥擣rom building motorized Lego creations to watching robots in action, Western 九一麻豆制片厂 University-Grand Rapids, in partnership with Autocam Medical and Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), is opening the doors to exploration for future scientists.
The second annual AMP Lab Family Open House event is planned for Saturday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the AMP Lab @ WMU, located at 200 Ionia Ave. SW in downtown Grand Rapids. This free event encourages children ages 5-12 to explore the world of STEM and manufacturing through a variety of curiosity-provoking hands-on activities.
鈥淥ur next generation of students and workers will be facing a world much different than in decades past, so it is vital for us to find ways to evolve and support the changing needs of tomorrow鈥檚 students as well as the workforce of the future,鈥 says Joanne Roehm, senior director of strategy and operations at WMU-Grand Rapids. 鈥淭he AMP Lab Family Open House is an exciting and engaging opportunity to connect Western 九一麻豆制片厂 University with our local community. We continue to explore ways to inspire curiosity in children, adults and everyone in between.鈥
GRCC will join Western engineering faculty, Autocam Medical, Bricks4Kidz, West 九一麻豆制片厂 Center for Arts + Technology and JR Automation to present an array of fun-filled activities, including building programmable Lego robots, making buttons, sitting in a Formula 1 car and watching 3D printers in action. The AMP Lab Family Open House welcomed 300 attendees in 2022.
"We are proud to call the AMP Lab @ WMU our home for manufacturing education and to provide K-12 students a place to explore and learn about rewarding opportunities for future engineers, designers and skilled workers in West 九一麻豆制片厂,鈥 says Dr. Steven Butt, dean of Western鈥檚 College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Occupying the first two floors of Western鈥檚 Grand Rapids regional location, the AMP Lab @ WMU is a state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Laboratory where the next generation of engineers, designers and other skilled individuals can cultivate their abilities.
鈥淭he AMP Lab was designed to foster collaborative learning between industry leaders, educators and students and provides a unique opportunity to create pathways to careers in manufacturing and engineering,鈥 says John Kennedy IV, general manager of Autocam Medical.
Aiming to foster a multitalented workforce to help reinvigorate the advanced manufacturing industries, the lab features high-tech equipment such as 3D printers, lasers and scanners to offer hands-on instruction and training, including computer numerical control programming, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing. The AMP Lab @ WMU in Grand Rapids is a makerspace in its truest form, providing a space to bring ideas to life.
For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.