Tucked away in the Hedlund Building on the North Idaho College campus is a lab where students, faculty, community members and industry partners come together to explore solutions to real-world problems.

The space, filled with robots, equipment and even an area where the Coeur d’Alene High School robotics team can scrimmage, is the setting for NIC X-Labs. The program’s mission is to build human capacity through active learning and shared experiences. 

“Why did we shift into STEM once upon a time?” said Marita Diffenbaugh, director of innovation for NIC X-Labs. “What was missing? Hands-on learning.” 

The “X” in the program’s name represents the intersection where community members come together to exchange ideas and grow through shared learning. Area employers bring real-world problems to NIC X-Labs, then instructors collaborate across disciplines to facilitate learning for the students working to solve these problems. 

“It really starts with one problem at a time,” Diffenbaugh said. 

Through X-Labs, NIC and University of Idaho students recently tackled a hot topic with community members: artificial intelligence. 

Students hosted a free workshop at the Coeur d’Alene Library for community members who wanted to learn more about AI technology, how it works and how it’s impacting the world. About 50 people attended the workshop, many of them seniors who came with concerns about AI and left with answers. 

Diffenbaugh said the in-person connection between students and community members was important to the workshop’s success. 

“That’s just one example of all of us learning,” she said. “The big picture here is taking care of the human.” 

In March, NIC X-Labs will bring together high school and college students, educators, industry professionals and other community members for a hands-on AI “hackathon” focused on local business needs. 

Participants will work in teams to design and prototype AI-driven solutions, then present their ideas to industry judges. No experience is required. The event is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 7 at the Hedlund Building on the NIC campus. 

The shared lab space in the Hedlund Building is also a home base for fellows like Lacey Bowden, who is studying for a master’s degree in computer science at University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene. 

“This is where STEM can come to life,” Diffenbaugh said. 

A partnership between NIC and U of I allows doctoral students like Bowden to give supervised instruction to NIC students in associate-level computer science courses. 

“It’s a full-circle moment,” Bowden said. “Now I’m working with some of the professors I had at NIC and still learning from them.” 

This semester, Bowden is teaching an intro to robotics class. There are no prerequisites; Bowden said the goal is for the class to be accessible to a broad range of people, from local high school students interested in robotics to nontraditional students. 

“We’re trying to open students’ eyes to what they can do in this field,” she said. 

While students earn credits toward certificates and degrees, they’re also putting theory into practice and getting experience solving real-world problems for local employers. 

“We’re working with local manufacturing and agriculture partners on how we can use AI and automation,” Bowden said. 

Diffenbaugh said NIC X-Labs is expected to grow, with a renovated space in the Hedlund Building and more fellows working out of the shared lab. 

“It’s so fun to see in action and we’re just getting started,” she said. 

    A partnership between North Idaho College and the University of Idaho allows U of I graduate students like Lacey Bowden to teach associate-level computer science courses at NIC.
  

    NIC X-Labs brings together students, instructors, community members and industry partners to explore innovative solutions to real-world problems.