Tech Frontier is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization established in 2013 as Fab Lab El Paso. Headquartered in the international metropolitan area of Paso del Norte, Tech Frontier provides community access to K-12 STEM/STEAM enrichment programming, digital skilling for new collar workforce, and innovation support through digital fabrication and rapid prototyping services. Tech Frontier is the first in the western Texas region of the United States. It is an entirely grassroots organization and has grown organically from support from the community for over a decade.
Mission
✓ Provide open-door, open-access grassroots community space, hardware, software, and resource support for education, research, and development of digital fabrication methods such as 3D printing, laser cutting, computer-controlled machining, 3D scanning, and more
✓ Establish partnerships with state and local educators, colleges, universities, museums, science centers to promote applied science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) education and vocational training for all ages and levels of experience
✓ Serve the technical needs of local industries and businesses through facilitation of rapid prototyping, product modeling, and small-scale production
✓ Foster a collaborative innovation atmosphere to aid in community-building through fun, engaging project-based workshops, summer camps, and programming for individuals of all ages.
History
Tech Frontier is a 501(c)3 makerspace and innovative learning facility established in 2013 as Fab Lab El Paso that provides community access to digital fabrication tools and resources for skillset learning, workforce training, STEM education, creative collaboration, prototype development, and product manufacture.
In 2016, Fab Lab was named the Chevron STEM Educators of the Year by the MIT Fab Foundation which invented the first playbook for Fab Labs. In 2018, we completed the installation of 10 makerspaces in 10 EPISD High Schools. In 2019, we also launched the first Mobile Makerspace in our region, serving elementary and middle schools in Socorro, Ysleta, San Elizario, Horizon, and Clint. When the pandemic hit in 2020, when programming came to a grinding halt, we pivoted to stopgap N95 mask and face shield production donating over 20,000 pieces of PPE to organizations on both sides of the border. In 2021, a prosthesis project incubated at Fab Lab garnered the attention of the Tribeca Film Institute, leading to “Disrupted Borders” that won Audience Choice Award at Cleveland International Film Festival and is now streaming on PBS. In 2022, we were awarded the Team II Community Anchor award from NASA Office of STEM and in November, we took a group of El Paso students to witness the historic Artemis I launch at Kennedy Space Center. In 2023 and 2024, we partnered with both the City of El Paso Economic and International Development to deliver skilling programs to help bridge the digital divide in areas like data science, software development, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and additive manufacturing. Fab Lab celebrated the grand opening of La Nube, a state of the art STEAM discovery center and our strategic partnership in the Make-It Zone where we will be hosting creative and exploratory STEM learning through the lens of solving real-life problems. In 2024, at the 10th anniversary summit, Fab Lab officially announced its rebranding to Tech Frontier. We are proud partners of Microsoft and Microsoft El Paso Innovation Hub.