California State University Dominguez Hills building a new science center thanks to $4 million grant from Toyota U.S.A.

This will be a science center focused on students who are studying math, engineering and technology. This project was announced on 28th February. The new Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education will be an inspiration for hardworking students from kindergarten all through college.

The 87,000 square foot Toyota Center will contain high-tech classrooms, a fabrication lab, collaborative workspaces, also labs for K-12 teacher training and demonstrations, and there will be an outdoor workspace.

“The center will help further science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teaching, learning, research, and ‘making’ that is critical to the future of California’s youth, the region, and the nation,” said Mike Goss, president, Toyota USA Foundation. “Investing today to provide hands-on, creative experiences that create excitement for STEM careers is critical to America’s advanced manufacturing future.”

“We want this new facility to help support students of the South Bay and Los Angeles so that they can be prepared for the next generation of jobs,” Goss added.

Beside this, Toyota committed an additional $750,000 toward trailers which will be equipped with tools like 3-D laser cutters and printers. The arrival of these “mobile fab labs” on the streets is expected in May 2017. They are pulled by four Tundra trucks traveling throughout the South Bay and Los Angeles region, to local schools. This will bring the learning to students, communities and educators.

“The new center will be a key resource for the university, directly impacting academic success and strengthening the region’s future STEM workforce,” said CSU Dominguez Hills President Willie Hagan. “We are honored to be working with such a forward-thinking community partner as Toyota. Educators are constantly adapting to new, innovative technology and processes to prepare students for success in our global society. The Toyota Center and mobile fab labs will provide leading tools for the development of creative academic programs and innovative curricula in line with the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards.”

Fab labs and the new science center will be one of the key resources for the university. This will provide much needed tools for instructors in order to develop their programs more creatively. “Educators are constantly adapting to new, innovative technology and processes to prepare students for success in our global society,” added Cal State Dominguez Hills President Willie Hagan.