Dean Safwan Masri Initiates Future-Ready Innovation Lab at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony held during the Library Open House event, GU-Q Dean Dr. Safwan Masri proudly inaugurated the new Innovation Lab, a significant addition to the university’s academic resources and a step into the future of higher education.
Situated in the GU-Q Library, the Innovation Lab serves as a dedicated space where students can foster their creativity and produce content for academic coursework or personal development.
This state-of-the-art facility is equipped with cutting-edge multimedia production and editing tools, providing students with the means to enhance their digital and media skills, with dedicated library staff on hand for support and guidance.
Dean Masri remarked, “Inaugurating this brand-new Innovation Lab is a defining moment for the GU-Q Library as it embraces cutting-edge digital technology while retaining its time-honored locus at the heart of academic endeavor. The Innovation Lab is a bold step towards confronting future challenges with full confidence and ultra-modern skills.”
Fostering Innovation
In an increasingly digital and interconnected world, higher education institutions are proactively embracing new technologies to better equip their students for success, and support innovative pedagogies that enhance the learning experience, stressed Data, Media, and Web Librarian Robert Laws. “The goal of the innovation lab is to provide a space where students can build skills that will help them in the classroom and in the workforce as well as provide faculty additional opportunities to design assignments that are innovative.”
The array of equipment available is extensive, including a professional podcasting mixer, four microphones, video cameras, action cameras, handheld audio recorders, three Mac computers loaded with the latest audio, video, and imaging editing software, as well as supplementary accessories for audio and video recording.
The new resources will help students to gain access to advanced equipment and software that is not currently accessible to them elsewhere on campus. Examples include professional video editing software like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Students will also get hands-on experience with equipment to produce podcasts, creative videos, and develop polished presentations.