STEM Lab Receives FAB-ulous Renovation

By Daniel Shapiro ’23
Over the summer of 2021, Golda Och Academy renovated its STEM Lab, greatly expanding the space for students and teachers to work. 

When asked about the renovation process, GOA’s director of STEM education, Dr. Shira Kelmanovich responded that, “It started the day that students left… and [took] the whole summer.” 
The Fab-Lab, as it is now known, is a brand new space that houses four 3-D printers, two laser cutters and nine Mac computers. Dr. Kelmanovich said, “We applied for a grant last year to get a new and larger laser cutter,” elaborating on how the new changes came about. 
The space has also helped to accommodate the increased student engagement with the STEM  program. 
“The idea was that the program over the past seven years has almost doubled the number of students that were involved.” Kelmanovich said, “Just being able to have access to the equipment has become more important as we [have] grown.”
With the increase in student participation, the need to open up space for equipment has also increased. Kelmanovich stated, “We’ve doubled the [amount] of laser cutter[s] and we’ve doubled the amount of 3-D printers that we have because we have this new and larger space.” 
Students also get a more open space for classes when they are working on various projects.
“I am really psyched about the FAB lab,” Junior Sam Zaslow-Braverman remarked, “It’s got two really incredible laser printers, some awesome 3-D printers and a ton of space to just experiment and learn.” 
The new renovation has also made classes easier to manage for teachers.
“A few years ago, when we first started this design and fabrication course as a part of the STEM program,” Kelmanovich said, “we had to split a class of about 18 into two groups and have half the class use the laser cutter for a project and have half the class use a 3-D printer and really be strategic about how many people were on the equipment. Now, for example, we had two grades, the freshman and sophomores, both with about 20 to 25 students in them...all using the laser cutters.” 
The STEM program has always been important to GOA, and now it has a brand new space for students to learn and design.