Candice Tinnon
Staff Writer/MC301
Jackson State University hosted the grand opening of a brand-new center on campus – The Center for Innovation on the 3rdfloor of the H.T Sampson library on Jan 30.
Students, staff, sponsors, and other individuals who played a crucial role in bringing the center to life attended the ceremony, including Almesha Campbell, director of Technology Transfer Commercialization and Research Communications.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Linda Brown-Wright said she is elated to see this moment finally come to fruition.
“The center is a place that would foster creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship among our faculty, students as well as the community. We are pleased about what we have achieved thus far, and we know the potential is endless. We are so excited,” said Brown-Wright.
Brown-Wright continued, “We have so many creative students and this center will provide the opportunity to explore ideas, engage in innovative and creative activities, collaborate, and realize their full potential.”
Brown-Wright also announced a new partnership with Blackburn Middle School. The collaboration will provide a way for youth and teens to explore their creativity.
“Through our newly established Young Innovators Program, this program will provide opportunities for middle and high school students to engage with our students in innovative projects and activities,” said Brown-Wright. “This program will use project-based learning to encourage critical thinking and introduce principles of design thinking as well as immerse students in virtual reality and 3-D printing.”
President William B. Bynum, Jr. also stressed the importance of being able adapt to the technological advancements and educational changes in the world.
“One of the things I am always on my faculty staff about making sure we understand today’s students, not how we were. How they act, how they interact, how they behave—this space is responsive to today’s students and what they are looking for and what they are seeking,” stated President Bynum.
He added, “Very few folks are checking out books now-a-days. So, this library will become our learning resource hub. This again is why you’re seeing some of the changes that are happening in the H.T Sampson Library.”
After Bynum cut the ribbon, attendees were allowed to tour the facility and even interact with some of the equipment with Innovation Fellows and sponsors of the center such as HP (Hewlett-Packard).
The Center for Innovation offers a button maker, a podcast studio, sewing machines, 3-D printers as well as necessary software, virtual reality equipment, computers and more.
Angel Foster feels the center will be beneficial to all students.
“I feel like it’s a really big improvement for Jackson State University. I believe it will give students an outlet to express themselves and allow people to release ideas that they had in their head all along,” said Foster, a junior computer science major. “It lets them let it out and show their creativity in more than one way than they are already use to,” Foster states.
Foster also expressed her belief on what the center means for the entire student body and not just some of the student body.
“It’s not just for technology majors. I feel like it’s for all majors of any interest. You can find something to do in here and expand what you want to do,” she said.
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