The Innovation Studio
A learning space for NC State Libraries that focuses on showcasing the innovative work of the campus community and teaching innovation methods.
Located on the second floor of DH Hill Library at NC State, the Innovation Studio is part teaching space and part interactive exhibit, showcasing student and faculty work. It serves as a venue to display and demonstrate emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality, machine learning, projection mapping, and the Internet of Things.
I had the opportunity to help create this new type of learning space through my position as the Graduate Extension Assistant for the Innovation Studio from 2020 - 22.
This new program built on the library’s prior work in developing impactful learning spaces, such as the Hill Library’s Makerspace and the Hunt Library’s Teaching & Visualization Lab; teaching emerging literacies, such as data science skills and virtual reality creation; and storytelling in digital and physical space, such as the Hunt Library Technology Showcase and Video Walls. The Innovation Studio includes a digital platform that continually highlights student and faculty innovations using a novel interactive projection experience.
Through a partnership with Relative Scale, an experience design firm based here in Raleigh, the immersive hover-based system was fully realized. Relative Scale designed and implemented the vision of a space based around interactivity, motion and gestural reactivity, and graphic design elements. Together, we built our current system that allows for a plethora of digital media and content that responds to hand waves while simultaneously integrating physical displays.
Bespoke in its creation, there is no other exhibition space like the Innovation Studio. The basics of the space's interactivity are that image, video, audio, links, factoids, quotes, and other text are able to be programmed into our database and accessed through hand motions on four large tables containing a maximum of eight stations for exhibited content. Physical displays and other forms of innovative technology can be incorporated as well.
The Innovation Studio has so many potential exhibition opportunities and is so malleable in terms of what media can be displayed that it creates many options for faculty, students, and researchers to showcase their work, generate feedback, and creates educational possibilities for faculty. It creates more accessibility to learn from the innovative advancements being made thus accelerating the education level overall.
My role as the Graduate Extension Assistant included:
Assist with and plan exhibitions and programs that reinforce the mission of presenting exceptional, innovative work created by NC State students and faculty.
Coordinate with students and faculty to gather information, media, and exhibition content and to generate exhibition design that best highlights the work.
Organize and prepare exhibition material for installation including managing a spreadsheet of information, copy editing content-language, and editing sound, image, and video files to work within the constraints of the interactive system.
Create installation layouts, program the content management system with the exhibition material, and implement layouts within the space.
Utilize my exhibition design background to assure a high-quality, refined exhibition experience for viewers.
Make and coordinate exhibition display elements as needed such as cases, printed elements, cord covering, etc.
Work with external relations to create archival and promotional photos, videos, web, and social media content.
Act as a spokesperson for the Innovation Studio in promotional capacities.
Troubleshoot technical issues related to the installation and digital content management system.