This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

FSU’s Innovation Hub, established in 2018, is a one-of-a-kind collaborative workspace here at FSU. With the mission of promoting design thinking, to solve today’s problems and shape tomorrow’s solutions, the Innovation Hub gives students and faculty access to emerging technologies and a space to bring their ideas to life.

Located right off Landis Green on the first floor of the Shores building, this easy-to-miss space has something for every student. Once you’re immersed in the Innovation Hub’s world of possibility and connection, you’ll never want to leave.

The Innovation Hub, better known as the “Hub”, offers a wide variety of academic and recreational resources. The common room serves as a collaborative space, hosting the Hub’s various events, workshops, and meetings, with private rooms available for reservation through their website. 

You’ll often find students playing chess, Wii Sports, retro PlayStation games, or just hanging out. With over 30 Virtual Reality (VR) headsets available for in-house use, it isn’t uncommon to see someone deep into a round of Beat Saber with an Oculus Rift strapped to their head.

What makes the Hub different is that students aren’t just encouraged to use these technologies, but also to create them. Intro to Virtual Reality Development (DIG 3779) allows students to delve into the cutting-edge tools and hardware necessary to develop VR experiences, changing the way they learn, create, and, of course, game.

Assistant Director of New and Immersive Media and instructor of DIG 3779, Jackson Anderson, emphasizes, “The New Media Design Lab is the perfect place where students are limited only by their imaginations to create immersive, engaging experiences.” The course, held in the Gail Rubini New Media Design Lab, is one of many offered within the Innovation Minor at FSU.

Installed with the latest creative software, including Adobe Creative Cloud, CAD, Unreal Engine, Unity, and Blender, computers in the Rubini lab are another resource that helps students discover what’s possible. These powerful engines allow users to edit videos, create digital art, design 3D printed models, and develop websites, apps, and games.

Next door, in impossible-to-miss neon letters, is the Digital Fabrication Lab (FabLab). In the FabLab, if you have an idea, there’s a good chance you can make it. Housing four types of 3D printers, a laser cutter, a vinyl cutter, and an electrical soldering station, students can come in, ask questions, and use them to create for free. 

Around Halloween, many students use 3D printing to create headbands, masks, and props, or press vinyl for t-shirts, utilizing cutting-edge equipment to solve the simple problem of finding a costume.

The Student Innovators at FSU truly carry the flag of what the Hub is about: fostering innovation through collaboration. The Student Innovators is a department-affiliated organization that allows students of all skill levels to explore and create technologies through various student projects. 

Currently, four projects are in the works, including Hottakes (a social app), Dawn of Dion (a video game), Jail Break (an AI cybersecurity game), and Touchdown Tycoon (an AI sports dynasty app). Meeting 6-8 p.m. on Thursdays, each project has a team of students who use the Hub’s resources to build skills and work on components such as app development, UX/UI design, and graphic design. 

Every spring, The Student Innovators at FSU and other innovation-focused RSOs, including iGEM, bring their projects to life at the Seminole Innovators Showcase, hosted right in the Hub.

Beyond the showcase, the Hub hosts weekly events. From Ideathons and Shark Tank competitions, where students pitch startup ideas for a chance to win up to $1,000 in prizes, to workshops like 3D Printing 101, and 24-hour design sprints/hackathons in partnership with major companies such as NextEra Energy and Amazon, there’s always an opportunity for students to get involved and showcase their innovative nature.

That try-anything energy is what Assistant Director of Experiential Learning Wes Dorce strives to create. “Here, we encourage students to explore and make mistakes. That’s the fun part of it. If tapping into creation, innovation, and emerging technology is inevitable, then why not start now?”

The Oxford definition of a hub is “the effective center of an activity, region, or network,” which is exactly what the Innovation Hub is. It’s the heart of student creativity here at FSU, bringing people of all backgrounds together and giving them the tools, support, and confidence to turn their bold, “crazy” ideas into reality.

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