Skip to main content

Designing STEAM hubs as engines of innovation, recruitment, and economic impact

Grace Johnson
Grace Johnson
Client Engagement Manager
 
Eric Kunnen
Eric Kunnen
Senior Director of IT Innovation and Research
 

As AI and robotics reshape academic programs, science and engineering facilities must evolve into high-performing strategic assets that attract talent, drive investment, and catalyze regional growth. This session profiles Grand Valley State University’s Blue Dot Lab, a multidisciplinary STEAM innovation hub that embeds an experiential infrastructure layer bridging architecture, technology, and storytelling. Presenters illustrate how adaptable collision spaces blend teaching, research, and industry production for long-term facility relevance; how high-tech environments drive recruitment and donor engagement; and how co-locating student entrepreneurship with computing hubs transforms a campus building into a powerful catalyst for real-world innovation and measurable economic investment.