Nebraska has the ideas — now it has the engine to build them. Frontier Tech Lab is a student-powered prototyping hub at Nebraska Innovation Studio that helps founders, researchers, and companies bring physical products to life with advanced tools and real project teams. Director John Strope explains how the lab closes three gaps for innovators — tools, talent, and time — using more than $3M of equipment and a bench of trained students who learn by doing. We dig into what work the lab takes on (product development, additive manufacturing, electronics integration, rendering), what it doesn’t (high-volume production or app builds), how to start a project, price ranges they’re seeing, and why partnership with Nebraska employers is the key to long-term sustainability. We also cover the student learning model, early demand since the soft launch, and the official launch on October 6.

Guest bio: John Strope is Director of the Frontier Tech Lab and Program Coordinator for the Heartland Robotics Cluster at Nebraska Innovation Studio. His background spans rollercoaster engineering, industrial automation, and global projects — turning bold ideas into practical impact.

Call to action: Start a project at frontiertechlab.unl.edu (shortcut go.unl.edu/FTL).