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An open lab is a physical or virtual space that supports Integrated Clusters by enabling engagement and collaborations between PSU faculty, staff, students and external partners and stakeholders in order to identify, discuss, and address real-world issues and problems. Open Labs do not belong to a specific Cluster, nor do they necessitate a physical space on campus. Several collaborative spaces have been developed across campus.

For example, Room 031 in Lamson Library and Learning Commons is a physical space that includes a variety of technologies and tools that can be used by any member of the PSU community as well PSU’s external partners. The technologies are arranged so that users of the space can work individually or in groups.

Open labs are being used extensively for trans-disciplinary collaboration in business, government, and educational settings. Open labs facilitate the collaboration which is necessary to find solutions to wicked problems. As you are working on the projects in your classes, you should consider using the available open lab spaces and the tools they contain to support your work.