West Liberty University’s Center for Arts and Education is now the second satellite for Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab.
“Our new satellite is an opportunity for technology transfer and the infusion of creative technologies in the advancement of teaching and learning,” said Dr. Keely Camden, dean of West Liberty University’s College of Education.
CREATE is an acronym for Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment and the lab explores socially meaningful innovation and deployment of robotic technologies.
The WLU satellite was announced Friday, April 11, 2013, at a partnership meeting in Morgantown, W.Va. hosted by the West Virginia University College of Education and Human Resources.
Personnel from Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE Lab, including Dror Yaron, the director of community outreach and strategic partnerships, and Clara Phillips, the outreach coordinator, held roundtable discussions on the work of the satellite centers, lessons learned and future innovative projects.
The satellite CREATE Lab at WLU is housed within the Center for Arts and Education, which is positioned between the College of Education and the College of Arts and Communication.
“The center provides tremendous professional development opportunities, resources and arts advocacy on campus and across the state and region,” Camden explained.
As a satellite, the Center for Arts and Education and associated colleges, have benefited from GigaPan robotic technology, a weeklong specialized digital media design workshop, museum exhibit design research, and plans for an arts-n-bot (robot) project.
Director of the Center for Arts and Education Lou Karas meets weekly with the CREATE Lab team and satellite partners to discuss shared practices, on-going projects and engagement of satellites in PK-12 schools.
“We are pleased to have this amazing opportunity to partner with four other universities in two states to bring shared expertise and resources to both our students on the WLU campus and to educators in the region,” Karas said.
The first CREATE satellite center was established at the June Harless Center at Marshall University in 2011. WVU and Carlow University, Pittsburgh, are joining as satellite centers in the near future, according to Yaron.
The development of the centers was made possible from generous research and development grant funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
Joining Karas and Camden in Morgantown were Vice President of the Benedum Foundation Dr. Jim Denova along with WLU faculty, Dr. William Baronak, Dr. Miriam Roth Douglas and Dr. Li-Wei Peng.
Also present from WVU was Lynne Schrum, dean for the College of Education and Human Services, and several teacher education faculty members. Representing the Harless Center at Marshall were Dr. Stan Maynard, executive director, and members of his staff.