CST StudioLab to open for the spring semester

StudioLab, a new space developed by the University's Council on Science and Technology, will open in late December, according to Naomi Leonard, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

The Council on Science and Technology supports intellectual exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, according to its website.The space is being createdin order to bring people together and broaden connections between the STEM fields and the arts, humanities and social sciences.

The StudioLab will be located on the B level of Fine Hall. Associate Director of the Council on Science and Technology Evelyn Laffey explained that the space is roughly 2,500 square feet and will include a motion capture system, green screens and unistrut, a metal framing system to customize lighting and sound.

The StudioLab will also offer various tools such as a CNC milling machine, a precise cutting machine used for engineering, 3-D printers and a laser cutter, she said.

Laffey also said that the StudioLab will be an open and flexible space with easily reconfigurable furniture and a sprung floor, a type of floor that is ergonomically correct for humans and robots, which will provide a durable surface for many different activities.

The project is scheduled to be complete by the end of the December, Leonard said.

Laffey noted that the StudioLab will be open for general use after the spring semester. Faculty, students or staff will be able to submit an online request to use the space, which will be reviewed by members of the CST administration, she said.

The space will be home to a new course titled “STC/EGR/MUS 209: Transformations in Engineering and the Arts,” which will be offered in the spring semester, Laffey added.

Leonard, one of the professors teaching this course, said that the course explores the intersection between engineering and the arts.

“We are going to be merging processes, systematic thinking and artistry to think about how we can create as artist engineers or engineer artists,” Leonard said.

She added that students will be using the different equipment to complete class exercises, called ‘mini-challenges,’ which will focus on as transformations within or between the different kinds of media.

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Some faculty from the School of Engineering and Lewis Center for the Arts will also be involved in teaching the course, along with Douglas Repetto, a music professor at Columbia University, Leonard said.

“It's a really interesting experiment,” professor of visual artsJeffWhetstone said, regarding the course. “You give the students some very interesting tools and interesting prompts and have them engage in not a quest for an answer but an exploration of process."

Leonard added that the space will be highly transformable and customizable and will be focused on giving students, from wherever they identify on campus, a place to think, either together or in groups and engage in really creative activities.

The Council will also offer a variety of events to showcase the space and activities that promote the Council’s mission, Laffey said.

"Ultimately, the Council strives to broaden and deepen participation in STEM and the StudioLab will be a place to dive deeper into STEM,” Laffey said. “We also want the space to bring together students, faculty and staff who are interested in exploring the intersections and shared creativity across STEM, the arts, humanities and social sciences."