VAR Lab: The Emerging Technologies Hub logo

VAR Lab: The Emerging Technologies Hub at Penn State Behrend

Leveraging the potential of artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, and robotics for education, community, and industry in an equitable and sustainable way.

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Strategic Units

AI + Machine Learning

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Our unit focused on artificial intelligence development

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Immersive Technology

Illustration of a person wearing a VR headset reaching toward a planet

Our makerspace unit focused on immersive creation.

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Autonomous Robotics

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Our unit focused on developing robotic and autonomous solutions

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News & Media

VAR at a Glance

Research, teaching, partnerships, and funding impact as of October 2026.

Realized Value $2.50M
Total Value Generated
$2.50M
External Funding + In-Kind Value
Grants, Awards and Gifts
$1.39M
Including 38 funded grants
Student Positions
247+
122 unique | 74% paid
Partnerships
150+
Academia | Industry | Nonprofits
Open Lab Deliverables
196
47% by lead contributor
Return on Investment
$18K
Seed Grant | 2019
13,800%
Conservative ROI
Excludes speculative value
$2.50M
Realized Value | 2026
XR Classroom | 2,715 Total (FA21 to FA24)
60
FA21
172
SP22
625
FA22
706
SP23
1,152
FA24
Individuals engaged per semester. Program concluded after Fall 2024.
2nd-Year Retention Rate
98.6%
VAR Lab Researchers
vs
75.4%
Behrend Average
+23.2 pp above college average
Student Composition
Humanities and SS
45%
Engineering
42%
Business
9%
Science
4%
Undergrad
80%
Graduate
20%
Paid Roles
74%
Funding Breakdown
External Funding: $1,395,777
Grants (38)
$1,185,796
Corporate + Private
$83,945
Student Awards (16)
$61,700
Visiting Scholar Awards
~$54,278
Other Awards (7)
$10,058
In-Kind Value: ~$1,108,358
Faculty Effort
~$685,687
Facilities
~$272,588
Visiting Scholar Labor
~$150,083
+ $133,654 in proposals under review (2)
AI and Tech | 20+ Tools
ChatGPT / OpenAI Google Gemini Claude GitHub Copilot Adobe Firefly DaVinci Resolve ElevenLabs NVIDIA NeMo PyTorch Hugging Face YOLO ComfyUI Convai XR Skydio Drones Unitree Go2 Topaz Labs Runway / Pika
LLMs | Generative Media | Vision | Speech | Autonomous Systems

Penn State

7+ campuses | TLT | ICDS | All 4 schools

Higher Ed

USC | Michigan | CMU | Korea | Brazil

Industry

US Steel | Erie Insurance | Adobe | STERIS

Community

Carnegie Science | Hagen | Girl Scouts

Grants and Federal

ECGRA | Fish and Wildlife | Erie Fdn

Projects & Events

View Full Portfolio

Our Partners

Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo (UFES) logo
Meta logo
Sungkyunkwan University seal
Lenovo logo
National Park Service logo
Fivestone Studios logo
Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania logo
University of Michigan logo
United States Steel logo
Teaching and Learning with Technology logo
Kamin Science Center logo
Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA) logo
UFCSPA (Universidade Federal de Ciencias da Saude de Porto Alegre) logo
Erie Insurance logo
Hagen History Center logo
Philly 250, 2026 logo
Encore logo
Skydio logo
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh logo
Asbury Woods logo
Matterport logo
Steris logo
Fab 3D Solutions logo
University of Pittsburgh logo
La Roche University logo
Penn State logo
Senator Dan Laughlin, Serving Erie County logo
FARO Creaform, Ametek logo
PathQuester logo
MEP Innovation Lab logo
UPMC Park Erie logo
Hammermill logo
Big Ideas Learning, a Larson Texts company, logo
Mercyhurst University logo
Apple logo
Carnegie Mellon University logo
PolyWorks logo
HD Forensics logo
Steeltoe Consulting logo
NERV Lab logo
VAR Lab logo: virtual, augmented, reality
VAR Lab: The Emerging Technologies Hub logo in white

Explore our organization’s mission and learn more on the about page. If you have any inquiries or wish to get in touch, please visit our contact page. Your interest is highly appreciated!

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