Facilities

West Campus: SHU's Center of Innovation

Sacred Heart University's West Campus–the former world headquarters of General Electric, in Fairfield, Connecticut–provides approximately 66 acres, 550,000 square feet of building space and 800 additional parking spaces. Located down the street from SHU's Park Avenue campus at 3135 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield, the new West Campus serves as the campus of innovation, providing expansion for the College of Education & Human Development, the College of Business & Technology and the School of Computer Science & Engineering. Facilities include state-of-the-art labs specifically designed to support research on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics, financial computation, machine learning, augmented reality/virtual reality and e-game design.

The West Campus is currently split into three buildings: the West Building, East Building and Guest House, which is a 28-bed hotel and conference center.

IDEA Lab

The IDEA Lab is an 11,000-square-foot prototyping lab that facilitates a transdisciplinary, problem-based, community-engaged innovation environment through digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing. Capabilities include desktop and commercial 3D printing, laser cutters, CNC systems along with characterization and assembly studio spaces and motion capturing capabilities for robots and drones.

NeXReality Lab

The NeXReality Lab is a University-wide resource promoting faculty and student research and immersive learning opportunities in virtual reality, augmented reality and extended reality (VR/AR/EX). The lab features more than 30 VR headsets, 3D scanners, 180/360 cameras, MR headsets, high-end computers and audio recording gear and a suite of applications to support these devices.

The cutting-edge technology allows our students and faculty to explore rapid prototyping, game development for both AR and VR, 360 recording and research opportunities. NeXReality Lab provides ongoing networking, coaching, mentoring, training, educational seminars and other related services on a range of VR/AR topics, as well as equipment rental.

Artificial Intelligence Lab

The AI lab contains 40 computers with advanced processing capabilities and dedicated servers for students and faculty research. The lab includes object recognition equipment and state-of-the-art eye trackers.

Under the general term of artificial intelligence, we started using our AI Lab in the collaborative effort to tackle many new and arising problems in our modern world, and use modern tools and methodologies, including data analytics, machine learning, computational intelligence, financial technology and many others to collectively drive the contemporary run into digital revolution. We collaborate with many other SHU departments, such as finance, business analytics, accounting and information systems, nursing, physical training, health sciences, philosophy and athletics, to name a few. Our biggest strength in AI Lab is to provide on-premise resources that ensure safe generation and secured storage of AI datasets, with the capability to expand into larger-scale cloud-based AI infrastructures when needed.

Cybersecurity Lab

SHU’s 1,300-square-foot Cybersecurity Lab provides a collaborative and hands-on learning environment to simulate cyber threats, design responses and defense strategies. The lab is used to support education, research, training and community outreach in cybersecurity and privacy.

Features:

• 40 workstations with contemporary technologies such as Virtualization (VirtualBox, VMware), security software - Forensic Toolkit (FTK), Password Recovery Toolkit (PRTK), Fortigate-60D UTM and Wireshark.
• Capabilities to isolate the entire lab from the SHU network and the Internet for cyber exercises such as malware analysis and penetration testing.
• A dedicated server room supporting a floor-to-ceiling technology rack including Network Attached Storage (NAS), Domain Servers, Network Switches and Firewalls to run the lab.

Motion Capture Lab 

The Motion Capture Lab fosters hands-on learning and cutting-edge research as faculty and students collaborate to push the boundaries of motion capture technology. The lab’s high-precision tools, including an OptiTrack system with multicamera motion capture and 3D tracking capabilities, provide students with state-of-the-art resources to create character animation for game design, virtual reality and virtual production projects.  

Additional West Campus Facilities

Market at West

Staffed by SHU Dining, the Market at West features fresh-made panini sandwiches, a salad bar, grab and go options, fresh squeezed juices and Peet's coffee.

Innovative Academic and Study Spaces

West Campus includes dozens of new classrooms with state-of-the-art equipment, comfortable furniture and data capturing software, as well as plenty of space for students to study and relax between classes.

Administrative Offices

West Campus is home to many SHU administrative offices, including the Business Office, Graduate Admissions, Student Accounts, Registrar's Office, Information Technology and University Advancement.

East Building

Home to the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology, East Building provides approximately 45,000 square feet of academic space and faculty offices, including the finance lab, student incubator space and artificial intelligence lab.

Atrium at West Campus

Located in the East Building, the atrium at West Campus is a bright, open multipurpose space complete with high ceilings, a sweeping staircase with balcony views of the main floor, modern fixtures, floor-to-ceiling windows and SHU-branded design elements. The atrium welcomes guests, students, faculty and staff to West Campus, whether the area is being utilized for a special event, clinic, workshop or simply as a pristine and impressive entryway to the East Building.