Plymouth State University students from all different departments finally have an area where they can put their creative minds to work in a collaborative and hands-on environment. Room 030 in Lamson Library is being transformed into a brand new media lab where students from the Communications and Media Studies Department, Graphic Design Department, and Music Department will have an opportunity to work on projects as they see fit.
The Communications and Media Studies Department pitched the idea for this new lab last spring. This was done in an effort to form a space where students would be free to work together to create and express their ideas.
“We have people who are interested in all different kinds of things that come through this department,” said Catherine LeBlanc, chair of the Communication and Media Studies Department. “What I’m hoping the media lab will do is allow students to be in a space with students from other majors and they will be able to collaborate together.”
It seems that the new media lab will be able to do just that. The lab will be fully equipped with Apple computers holding creative software tools such as Photoshop, Adobe Flash, and FinalCut Pro. It will also be home to green screens for filming purposes and a sound booth for music recording. This is all done in an effort to bring together students who are interested in doing larger scale projects such as making films and recording music.
James Lawson, President of the Plymouth State University Film Club, is very excited to see the possibilities that the new media lab will open. “I think it’s a great place where people who share this common interest will be able to collaborate,” said Lawson. “I think it’s going to bring people together to one central location on campus where you know the people around you are interested in what you’re doing and you can work to help each other out,” said Lawson.
The media lab is intended to be open all day so that students will be able to come in at any time and work on whatever project they want to at their convenience. There has been some debate in the Communications and Media Studies department as to whether or not classes will be taught in Lamson 030, but the general consensus is that the lab will be available for students whenever.
“I think I’m really looking forward to the fact that we’re going to have a bunch of different majors in here; Communications, Graphic Design, and Music majors. They all have a unique skillset that will allow them to help one another on the projects that are going to take place here,” said Lawson.