Creativity and ambition no longer need to be limited by access to technology thanks to UC Riverside Library’s latest research and creative space.

The Scholarly Technology and Research, or STAR, Lab at the Orbach Science Library opened in January 2024 and provides students and researchers a dedicated space where they can use advanced digital tools and high-performance computers.

The four Windows workstations are equipped with a wide selection of software including NVivo and Adobe Creative Suite for a variety of research needs. The lab also includes a high-quality flat-bed scanner and a mobile TV monitor.

“The STAR Lab takes lots of fantastic technology and applications that are often out of reach for the average student or researcher and presents them in an accessible space for different types of exploration and research,” said Andrew Morales, UCR Library research services assistant, who helps run the STAR Lab. 

The computers can be used for a variety of tasks such as mapping, photo editing, data visualization, graphic design, optical character recognition on documents, and video and audio editing. 

English department students have used it for audio transcription, a Star Wars-themed student club has used it to design costumes, and some have used it to create TikTok videos.

“What makes it a really good lab is that you can use it for pretty much whatever your needs are as a student, whether it’s a class project, a personal project, or something in between that’s a passion you have,” Morales said.

On a recent February morning, Jaden Cipolla, a fourth-year Earth sciences major, used the scanner and a workstation at the STAR Lab to scan old film negatives. He’s been using the space regularly since November for a project scanning aerial photos of Riverside and San Bernardino counties since the 1970s. 

“People can look at how the landscape has changed over time,” Cipolla said.

The STAR Lab is the latest in a suite of creative and technological spaces across from or next to each other at Orbach. The Creat’R Lab, which has grown since it launched in 2017, features 3D printers, sewing and embroidery machines, a laser engraver, button makers, and paper crafting equipment that support students pursuing a wide variety of creative activities. 

In the last few years, a Robotics Lab with workbenches and soldering tools and a 3D experience Lab (3DXP Lab) for video, picture, and 3D editing have been added, providing users a range of spaces to pursue their projects.

“The STAR Lab can be an experimental research or creative space and then you might bring something to life in the Robotics Lab or Creat’R Lab,” said Krystal Boehlert, a digital initiatives specialist with the library.

Learn more about the STAR Lab in this library guide. Any student, faculty member, or staff member can reserve a workstation at the STAR Lab for up to two hours, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.