Standing true to its goal of providing an immersive student experience with today’s best collaborative and interactive technology for academia, Clemson University launched the Watt Family Innovation Center. The groundbreaking 70,000GSF learning and innovation hub provides students with hands-on learning and research opportunities. Alongside exciting learning experiences, the Watt Center encourages the creation, consumption, and sharing of multimedia content.

Upon entering the facility, students and visitors are greeted with four larger than life interactive video walls, which can be used to display student research and Watt Center event information, among many other things. The Watt Family Innovation Center is the most technology-enhanced academic building on Clemson’s campus, giving students access to Prototyping Laboratories, a Media Forensics Hub, and the Clemson Makerspace. 

The Center is also home to Clemson’s Watt AI Program, which provides opportunities for students to pursue real-world research involving AI technology. The Watt AI Creative Inquiry team studies a range of concepts including AI, Data Analysis, and Machine Learning & Data Science, which they are then able to actively apply to their research.

The Clemson Immersive Space is home to the Center’s Virtual Reality Studio and gives students educational and research experiences to further propel their learning. The space also offers introductory learning opportunities for those who have never used Virtual Reality equipment before. A variety of equipment and developmental tools are available for use to give students the opportunity to build within a VR setting and further enhance their skills.

Several corporate partnerships also find a home in the Watt Family Innovation Center, with proximity to a multitude of laboratories and learning spaces to simulate real-world research and prototyping experiences. Additionally, the Offices for Corporate Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives is located within the Center and acts as a centralized location for students to request and receive information about current and upcoming partnerships.

Further cementing the Watt Family Innovation Center as Clemson University’s technological hub, the technology doesn’t stop inside of the building. The Center’s exterior features the largest media mesh grid in the country, reaching two-stories high and spanning the entire width of the building. The Media Mesh Grid can be programmed to display graphics, animation, and live video.