March 29, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — From building motorized LEGO creations to watching robots in action, Western Michigan University-Grand Rapids, Autocam Medical and Grand Rapids Community College are 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.
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.
“Our 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’s students as well as the workforce of the future,” said Joanne Roehm, senior director of strategy and operations at WMU-Grand Rapids. “The AMP Lab Family Open House is an exciting and engaging opportunity to connect Western Michigan University with our local community. We continue to explore ways to inspire curiosity in children, adults and everyone in between.”
GRCC will join Western engineering faculty, Autocam Medical, Bricks4Kidz, West Michigan 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 Michigan,” said Dr. Steven Butt, dean of Western’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Occupying the first two floors of Western’s 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.
“The 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,” said John Kennedy IV, general manager of Autocam Medical.