UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s former Immersive Experiences Lab (IMEX Lab) has relaunched as the Immersive Commons and welcomes the Penn State community to explore its newly repurposed spaces during a Nov. 17 open house on the University Park campus.
The Immersive Commons, a service department in the Media Commons overseen by Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT), part of University Libraries, is housed in Rooms 109 and 113 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building.
The space is dedicated to creating multimedia experiences for students, faculty and staff through media exploration in immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, 360-degree video, 3D scanning and augmented reality.
The decision to relaunch the service as the Immersive Commons was based on the need to refocus what it offers and to brand it to fit student and faculty service and quality expectations.
Room 113 has a larger space dedicated to virtual reality to accommodate room-scale VR experiences for classes and furniture that can be adapted for mixed-reality applications. Room 109 is now focused on 3D work, such as high-computing power scanning and portable 3D scanners, for a variety of projects.
Dan Getz, a TLT specialist and consultant for the Immersive Commons, facilitates the daily operations of the commons and directs workshops in the space. He researches emerging applications to identify and introduce new technology options and coordinates across Commonwealth Campuses to extend that technology’s availability University-wide.
“For the Immersive Commons, we wanted to lean into what we know works well for this type of technology and offers a quality experience, rather than just chasing after an immersive solution for the sake of it being new technology,” Getz said.
Both spaces will be open for visitors across campus to explore during the open house, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17. Participants can register online at Open House Registration Form.
Open house attendees will move through four interactive stations that demonstrate the Immersive Commons’ new offerings:
- Explore in VR: Learn how virtual reality can transport up to four simultaneous users to any place through an application by flying around the world and viewing 3D renderings.
- Create Interactive Content with Thinglink:A beginner-friendly tool allows users to create their own immersive content or explore available examples.
- Practice Speaking in a Controlled Environment:Powered by AI avatars, users can practice various public speaking roleplays to develop skills and receive live feedback.
- Digitize and Scan in 3D:Scanning technology available in the commons includes several examples of immersive content, which users can view through a virtual reality headset.
Open house attendees may stop by anytime during the event to explore the stations and talk with staff. Interested participants can add the event to their calendars from the TLT Events webpage.
After the open house, the space will be available for students, faculty and staff to book appointments using the Media Commons Appointment Request Form. Walk-ins are welcome when staff are in the lab, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays when classes are in session.
For more information about the Immersive Commons and the open house, visit the Immersive Commons Open House webpage or contact Dan Getz at dag5084@psu.edu.
