As the Makerspace Manager at the Malesus STEM Innovation Center, I often get asked how a local entrepreneur ended up in education. My journey didn’t begin in a traditional classroom—it began in industry. For years I worked as a local entrepreneur and business owner, building products and turning ideas into real-world solutions. Today, I bring that same passion for innovation into the classroom, helping students experience what it truly means to design, build, and create.
My name is Austin Thompson, and I manage the Makerspace—also known as our Fab Lab—at the Malesus STEM Innovation Center. Inside this space, students have access to professional-grade tools used by engineers, designers, and manufacturers every day. Our lab includes two laser cutters, fourteen 3D printers, and a desktop CNC machine. These tools allow students to take an idea from concept to prototype, learning the same design and fabrication processes used in real industry.
But the Fab Lab is about more than machines. It’s about giving students the opportunity to think creatively, solve problems, and see their ideas come to life. At the Malesus STEM Innovation Center, every student—regardless of which institute they attend—spends one day a week in the Makerspace throughout the entire school year. This ensures that every student has access to hands-on innovation and real-world problem solving.
One of the most exciting projects our students are launching is the Malesus Made website. This platform will highlight products designed and created by our students in the Fab Lab. Throughout the year, the community will be able to purchase these items as part of a fundraising initiative that supports both student creativity and local schools. Twenty percent of the profits from each sale will go directly back to the student’s school, while the remaining funds help maintain and grow the makerspace program at Malesus. It’s a unique opportunity for students to learn entrepreneurship, product design, marketing, and business operations all in one project.
The Fab Lab also serves as a print-for-hire prototyping facility for businesses across Jackson and West Tennessee. Local companies can bring us design challenges or ideas that need prototyping, and our students help bring those ideas to life using our 3D printers and fabrication tools. Each project becomes a problem-based learning experience. We break down the real-world problem, explore potential solutions, and work through the engineering and design process together. Under my guidance, students learn how professionals approach challenges, test ideas, iterate designs, and ultimately produce working prototypes.
Experiences like these help students see that STEM education isn’t just theory—it’s practical, creative, and incredibly impactful. By connecting classroom learning with real-world industry challenges, we are helping students develop the confidence and skills they will carry into future careers.
At the Malesus STEM Innovation Center, we’re not just teaching students how to use tools. We’re teaching them how to think like innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs. Every design, every prototype, and every project moves them one step closer to building the future they imagine.
Register Before the Deadline
Don’t miss your chance to be part of this transformative experience. Registration for the Malesus STEM Innovation Center is open now, but spots are limited and the deadline to apply is March 25th. If your student is ready to explore innovation, entrepreneurship, and hands-on STEM learning in the Fab Lab, we encourage you to apply today.