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IEL Fellowship

Stuckeman School

Immersive Environments Lab Inaugural Fellowship

2026–2027 Call for Proposals

  • Deadline: July 31, 2026

  • Funding: Up to $20,000

  • Eligibility: Open to designers, artists, academics, and practitioners external to Penn State whose work engages Extended Reality (XR) technologies.

  • Deliverables: Stuckeman IEL Fellows are expected to use the Immersive Environments Lab (IEL) at the Penn State Stuckeman School as a space for an immersive workshop and/or installation and give a public presentation of their work. The fellowship process and outcomes shall be documented and disseminated for archival, publication, and communication purposes.
Apply for the 2026–27 IEL Fellowship Visit the IEL Fellowship website

Required Application Materials

  • 2-page project description that articulates a perspective on immersion across cultural, spatial, material, and virtual dimensions; demonstrates the use of XR technologies; and outlines engaging learning and/or research activities in Architecture, Graphic Design, and Landscape Architecture at the Stuckeman School and in dialogue with the College of Arts and Architecture community.

  • 1-page schedule outlining the anticipated period of fellowship and engagement (limited to one semester) including travel, workshops, exhibitions, publications, public talk on campus, and any other relevant activities.

  • 2-page résumé highlighting relevant experience and activities.

  • 1-page budget justification outlining anticipated expenses. Funding may support honoraria (including travel and accommodations), goods and services required for the proposed fellowship activities, and student assistance. Any equipment produced or purchased through fellowship funds will remain the property of the Penn State Stuckeman School.

Q&A

About the IEL

The Immersive Environments Lab (IEL) at the Penn State Stuckeman School is the site of transdisciplinary experimentation, production, and collaboration using Extended Reality (XR) technologies. It is equipped with the Hyve-3D system, an AR sandbox, three projectors, one HoloLens, and one Apple Vision Pro. It serves as a space for presentations and testing, supporting both design teaching and research. The mission of the IEL is to expand the understanding of immersion – cultural, spatial, material, and virtual – and to explore immersive hybrid physical and digital design workflows that enable embodied experiences of the built environment. Yasmine Abbas serves as the director of the IEL.