ABIGAIL JACOBSON
News Editor
Technology changes everyday with new developments. To keep up with these changes, systems need to be in place to help us understand them. A computer lab in Fenton Hall is doing just that.
New changes came to a computer lab in Fenton Hall in November of 2024. This computer lab is now Fredonia’s Innovation Lab.
The Innovation Lab can be used by both students and faculty. Faculty can teach courses with new, upcoming technology and students are able to take advantage of learning opportunities and develop skills.
The Innovation Lab is located in room 115 in Fenton Hall and offers many features for students to take advantage of. Some of these opportunities include 3D printing, developing communication skills and podcasts, learning how to pilot a drone and training in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR).
Students are allowed to check out laptops from the lab anytime to do work.
The Innovation Lab also offers programs to students. Upcoming programs include “Artificial Intelligence: Google Gemini” which is on Feb. 4 from 9 a.m. to 10:20 a.m., and “Artificial Intelligence: Zoom AI” which is on Feb. 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.
The “Artificial Intelligence: Google Gemini” program will “explore the transformative potential of AI and how Google Gemini can enhance your productivity and creativity,” according to an email sent out on Jan. 16.
The “Artificial Intelligence: Zoom AI” program will be overlooking “AI features in Zoom, including the Zoom AI Meeting Summary and other AI-powered tools designed to enhance your meeting experience,” according to the same email.
According to an article written by Marketing and Communications, “The lab is part of an overall goal or strategy to transform SUNY Fredonia, making the campus more innovative as a way to distinguish it among other higher education institutions.” This was explained by Chief Information Officer Michel Kouadio.
“Students are attracted to universities perceived as innovative, and so are employers, who tend to hire more students that come from innovative institutions,” Kouadio said in an article published in the Dunkirk Observer.
Kouadio went on to explain that these employers hire these students because “they feel more confident in their overall skills set and abilities that they can bring to an organization.”
With the Innovation lab bringing new skills and experiences, students will be more ready than ever to take what they learn to the job force.
Resources:
Email: [Students] Upcoming Innovation Lab Programming Jan. 16 at 4:07 p.m.
Photo by CHRISTOPHER TAVERNA I Special to The Leader