In the VW eLabs, students can create using 3D printers, laser cutters and robotics systems.
By: Mary Genson | Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle | Published October 27, 2025
BIRMINGHAM/SOUTHFIELD — Students at Birmingham Public Schools and Southfield Public Schools now have access to state-of-the-art Volkswagen eLabs — resources that promote innovation through STEM learning.
The VW eLabs are digital fabrication laboratories that provide students with hands-on opportunities with 3D printers, laser cutters and robotics systems.
In partnership with Volkswagen Group of America, the Public Education Foundation in Chattanooga funded these labs through a $1.8 million contribution. They are the first elementary schools in Michigan to have VW eLabs.
“We are proud and excited to partner with the Public Education Foundation and Volkswagen, who have made this generous investment that will serve generations of our students,” Birmingham Public Schools Superintendent Embekka Roberson wrote in an email. “One of our accomplished science teachers, Doug Baltz, is an Albert Einstein Fellow, which has placed him in national spaces and conversations about science education. Through Mr. Baltz’s connections, Birmingham and Southfield were identified as ideal locations for this next phase of the program. Our staff expertise, student enthusiasm and community support made Birmingham schools a natural fit for the program.”
VW eLabs opened at Birmingham Public Schools’ Beverly Elementary, Bingham Farms Elementary, Covington Middle School, Greenfield Elementary, Harlan Elementary, Pembroke Elementary, Pierce Elementary, Quarton Elementary and West Maple Elementary; and Southfield Public Schools’ Adler Elementary, Stevenson Elementary, Thompson K-8 International Academy and University K-12 Academy.
Jennifer Martin-Green, Southfield Public Schools superintendent, said that “the earlier we are able to expose scholars to real-world application, the better opportunities they have to select career pathways in the later grades. This gives us an opportunity to allow them to explore with tools that industry professionals are currently using in an environment that is controlled and safe.”
Digital fabrication laboratories give students the space to make their digital designs into innovative physical creations.
In addition to gaining skills in technology, students have the opportunity to grow skills that will help them in their careers — such as creativity, adaptability and collaboration.
“These facilities will provide our youngest learners with a leg up in learning Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fundamentals to help prepare them for jobs that don’t even exist yet,” Roberson wrote in an email.