The St. Louis Confluence Fablab, an initiative conceived by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering and Lewis & Clark Community College (LCCC), is located on the N.O. Nelson Campus of LCCC in Edwardsville. Fablabs, which began as an outreach project of MIT, are a modern means of invention through well-equipped engineering and technology centers open to those with inventive minds and hands-on interests and capabilities.
The St. Louis Confluence Fablab, which is expected to open in September 2015, will operate primarily in two modes. The first mode will focus on the educational mission, while the second will devote resources to the community mission.
The educational mode supports collaborations with regional businesses. Projects can take advantage of the vast knowledge available among faculty members of both SIUE and LCCC.
In the community mode, the facilities will be open to community members to use the assembly of advanced tools and advanced software to design, prototype, and test project concepts. Anyone wanting to access this facility will be required to take an introductory safety and informational seminar.
Safety knowledge and tool certification are prerequisites for the direct user. User fees may vary by resources, equipment or software used and the level of assistance required from lab staff.
