Nearly two hundred participants attended strojLAB DAY at the start of the new semester to learn more about the open workshop project at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, BUT. Students and staff had the opportunity to explore the new studentLAB facilities located on the ground floor of Building A5, operated by the student team strojLAB Lizard Engineers. The programme also included lectures, training sessions, a hands-on workshop and an exhibition mapping almost a decade of the university workshop’s history.

strojLAB is a space where students can work on their final theses as well as on their own independent projects. The facilities are also available free of charge to faculty staff.

“Our long-term goal is to share part of our equipment within a unified system accessible to everyone at the faculty. I would be very pleased if other institutes joined us in supporting active and motivated students. Open laboratories and workshops bring many benefits both to teaching and to academic departments,” said FME Dean Jiří Hlinka.

strojLAB currently has three faculty ambassadors who are available to provide further information. David Škaroupka and Petr Křivohlavý represent strojLAB at the Institute of Machine and Industrial Design, while Daniel Romanowski represents the student team strojLAB Lizard Engineers.

As part of the event, the new studentLAB facilities were officially opened in the presence of BUT Vice-Rector Vítězslav Máša, BUT Bursar Petr Tesař, FME Dean Jiří Hlinka, Director of the Institute of Machine and Industrial Design Martin Hartl, and representatives of the strojLAB Lizard Engineers student team.

“We greatly appreciate the trust the faculty has placed in us by allowing us to independently manage and operate the workshop. Students can join us at any time during the year. They can either work on their own projects or become involved in a wide range of exciting initiatives,” said Daniel Romanowski, head of the student team.

Visitors to the event could also attend a lecture from the strojTALK series, where members of the iGEM Brno team presented their successful journey through a global biotechnology competition. Participants could also take part in soldering training sessions and a practical workshop. A photo gallery from the event is available on the strojLAB Facebook page.

strojLAB DAY was held as part of the international DiSTT project focused on the development of digital skills.