Redesigning our Lab Space
The Interactive Measurement Group has been conducting studies on data entry and data checking for almost a decade. Recently, we finished data collection on our last such study. (Hooray!) We don’t have any plans to conduct one-on-one in-person studies in the near future, and so we decided to re-purpose the two data collection rooms. Coincidentally, the university decided to give us a brand new carpet at the same time!
The carpet in CDC 520 serves as the foundation of our lab. It is something that everyone notices when they first step into the main meeting area. We prepared for weeks before its removal, and were a bit nervous to see what the new carpet would look like. What if it didn’t match our furniture? What if it threw off the lab’s feng shui? We were pleasantly surprised with how much we liked the newly installed carpet. Its neat pattern of cool blues and grays makes the lab attractive and welcoming.
To make the lab an inspiring space for lab members to work and grow together, we spent weeks deliberating how to rearrange the lab’s furniture.
The space felt crowded and so we wanted to remove some furniture. We needed to decide which pieces to keep and which to send to surplus. Ultimately, we decided to keep all the tables, but get rid of some of the desks, shelves, and cabinets.
The more important question was how to rearrange the furniture. We created a to-scale map of the lab and little cut-outs to represent the furniture. We played around with many ideas for each of the rooms. We kept the main room basically as it is: a space for large group meetings. We reduced the number of tables and chairs, though, so it feels lighter and airier. We also changed the location of the couch so that it creates more of a conversation area. We kept the front office as a place for working on complex projects (with the double monitors) and for Skype meetings. We changed the furniture a bit, though, so it’s not so crowded when there are three people in there.
The biggest changes were in the Testing Room and Work Room, where we used to collect data. The Testing Room was redesigned to better suit collaboration between students. It is now known as the Collaboration Room. This room is really helpful when teams are working on papers together, because it’s easier to sit side by side and share a computer. The Work Room was redesigned for individual work and has thus been dubbed the Quiet Room. Many lab members have said that the Quiet Room is a great place to study, and so are very happy with how it was rearranged to foster productivity.
The new carpet and other changes make the space bright, open, and welcoming. Many lab members find themselves spending a significant amount of time in CDC 520, and these changes help make us feel more relaxed and productive. Over the last 15 years, this space has fostered a lot of growth in Dr. Barchard’s research assistants, and we look forward to seeing all the great things lab members will accomplish thanks to the lab’s new atmosphere.
April Contreras is a junior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in neuroscience, and has been a member of the Interactive Measurement Group since Spring 2016. She plans to go to graduate school to obtain a Ph.D. in clinical neuroscience with a specialization in neuropsychological testing. Her research interests include neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as their effects on temperament and personality.
Marlen Ibarra is a psychology major. She will graduate in the spring of 2017. She was a member of the Interactive Measurement Group for four semesters, and is now a member of Dr. Freeman’s DIME Lab. She plans on attending graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and would like to specialize in helping children that have experienced trauma.