The Fredrickson Family Innovation Lab (FFIL) continues to build on its extensive slate of programming, seeking to promote interdisciplinarity as well as creativity and innovation in research, teaching, and discourse across campus. 

This semester, FFIL co-directors — Lei "Tommy" Xie, PhD, associate professor of English, and Jo Yarrington, MFA, professor of visual and performing arts — have put forth a full schedule of free workshops for Fairfield students, as well as lectures that are free and open to all: students, Fairfield community members, and the general public.

Open to all, “Exploring Cognitive Psychology: Human Imagination, Art, and Perception” on Wednesday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m., invites participants to join artist and educator Andrea Kantrowitz as she shares ideas and images from her recent book, Drawing Thought: How Drawing Helps Us Observe, Discover and Invent, published by  MIT Press.

In Drawing Thought, Kantrowitz invites readers to use drawing to extend and reflect on their own thought processes. She interweaves illuminating hand-drawn images with text, integrating recent findings in cognitive psychology and neuroscience with accounts of her own artistic and teaching practices.

Established in 2019 through the generosity of Fairfield Stagmates Scott and Susan Fredrickson ’82, the state-of-the-art Frederickson Family Innovation Lab provides College of Arts and Sciences students and faculty with a physical and digital gathering space for interdisciplinary research, instruction, and cross-pollination. 

Equipped with mobile workstations, HDTV screens, specialized computer software, and two sizable seminar rooms, the state-of-the-art FFIL facility offers ample space for hosting interdisciplinary workshops and classes, highlighting faculty and student digital research, and facilitating the exploration of digital solutions to global issues whether qualitative, quantitative, scientific, creative, or at the intersection of diverse fields.

For students, the Innovation Lab delivers a kinetic zone of instruction, experimentation, and accomplishment. For faculty, it facilitates problem-solving partnerships and innovative pedagogical and research collaboration. For members of the community, it demonstrates the value of a Jesuit education in the digital age and extends an invitation to students and faculty within the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, and the School of Engineering, to collaborate with the College of Arts and Sciences on creative solutions that address today’s problems.

Workshops 2022-2023 IRL

Spring 2023

Feb. 23 | 5-6 p.m.
Qualtrics
Instructor: Michael Andreychik, PhD

April 13 | 5-6 p.m.
Turning Your Research Into Visual/Interactive Stories
Instructor: Tommy Xie, PhD

Students can learn more and register on Life@Fairfield.

Learn more about the Fredrickson Family Innovation Lab at Fairfield.