By the LaGuardia Co-op Staff
The LaGuardia Co-op is the flagship location of NYU’s three Student Technology Centers, located at the heart of the Washington Square campus. The Co-op facility is an experimental take on a traditional computer lab experience. With the tagline “Connect & Create,” students from different schools across NYU can use the Co-op collaborate as a group or work individually. There, they are exposed to new and emerging technology, such as desktop 3D printing, virtual reality, gaming, and more. Since opening in October 2015, students have hosted over 200 events including hackathons, technology workshops, and inspirational talks.
Cutting Edge Technology and Resources
The LaGuardia Co-op is meant to foster student collaboration around the use of technology through a variety of specialized resources. The facility has several flexible spaces, both public and private, where students can work. Two Group Study rooms suit smaller-focused groups, while the larger Computer Classroom, Collaboration, and Demonstration Spaces offer projectors, gaming devices, and other technology for bigger groups and events. The Co-op also has Video Recording Booths that provide equipment and software that enable students to record presentations and interviews, as well as giving them the ability to share the content with others. To maintain flexibility in the space, lendable equipment—including both Mac and Windows laptops, as well as computer accessories—is available to students. With new services being introduced this fall, such as desktop 3D printing and Oculus Virtual Reality, the Co-op strives to keep learning fresh and innovative. The Co-op also provides real-time tracking of computers via the Live Computer Availability Map, enabling you to check availability before you arrive.
The Following Resources and Spaces Are Reservable by Students:
- The Group Study Rooms allows users to plug their personal computers into a large digital display and work without the distraction of other users in the space. The room can accommodate up to four people and can be used for any number of projects, presentations, and study groups. There are two group study rooms, one located on each level of the facility.
- The Collaboration Space is a general meeting space that seats 25-30 people. Primarily meant for student clubs, organizations, and tech-related events, it includes a display and gaming consoles. This area is good for meetings/discussions involving larger study groups or projects involving a greater number of participants. Students and participants are asked to be mindful of noise and space when using this part of the Co-op.
- The Demonstration Space is a general meeting space that seats 20-25 people. Primarily geared toward student clubs, organizations, and tech-related events; and well-suited for events, demonstrations of new technology, smaller lectures, and meetings, this space includes a Cisco video conferencing unit and multiple projectors that can be combined with classroom projectors and displays. Priority is given to larger groups.
- The Video Recording Booth is an interactive booth equipped with powerful tools, including a sophisticated lighting environment that allows users to produce studio-quality audio and visual projects. The booth is furnished with a computer workstation, specialized audio/video production equipment and software, sound absorption panels, a touch display, and a confidence monitor.
Supporting Student Innovation and the Campus Coding Collaborative
The LaGuardia Co-op is also home to the Campus Coding Collaborative (C3), essentially an R&D lab that enables students, faculty, and administrators to develop and test new solutions to university challenges. The initiative encourages global innovation and is a hub that brings together the talents and existing services of NYU to foster student ingenuity and drive, with the mission of improving NYU and the student technology experience. Through this program, NYU IT assists C3 teams with product development that will help turn ideas into reality, ushering them out of the classroom and the lab and into the NYU community. NYU IT received the 2015 NASPA Bronze and Gold Award for excellence and Innovation for the work of the Campus Coding Collaborative (C3).
LaGuardia Co-op
541 LaGuardia Pl.
212-998-3500
For hours of operation and upcoming events, see the LaGuardia Co-op website.
There are two additional Student Technology Centers: the Kimmel Center lab and the Third Avenue lab. See the NYU IT Student Technology Centers page for more information.