Inspiration Lab

The Inspiration Lab, home to The Hatchery, represents the long-awaited manifestation of a collective vision on the Southern Miss campus. Foot traffic in Scianna Hall slows as passersby gaze through the lab’s window walls. At first glance, the equipment and activity inside appear out of place in a business school. A sewing machine, laser engraver, 3D printers, and other creative tools prominently line its workbenches. Entering through the double doors, one is immediately pulled into an anticipation of collaborative innovation. If necessity is the mother of invention, the sense of imagination inspired by this space must be a close relative.

Curiosity and imagination, are too often thought lost in the course of one’s academic journey. But they are stirred and applied in The Hatchery’s lab through a constructive collision of disciplines, resources, and personalities.

James Wilcox, Professor of Practice and Director of The Hatchery

Part lounge and part laboratory, the Inspiration Lab was designed by a conglomeration of students, faculty, and staff to help transform latent ideas into testable solutions. Several well-appointed brainstorm zones, including the lab’s popular tufted leather sofa, invite curious visitors to connect with others on an entrepreneurial journey. The atmosphere, enriched with verdant greenery and the slight nuance of espresso, is abuzz with kinetic energy. Natural light floods the space, streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the building’s central courtyard and provide a glimpse into The Rock’s north end zone. The feeling that significant moments will trace their origins back to this place is undeniable. Equal to the space’s impressive and inspiring ambiance is the history that laid the groundwork for both The Hatchery and the Inspiration Lab.

With an entrepreneurial eye on the horizon, the Inspiration Lab was built in anticipation of the Southern Miss community’s future needs. The lab and its support activities extend entrepreneurship far beyond a business degree program and into interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty, staff, and students from every corner of campus. For a list of upcoming workshops, trainings, and activities, please visit our Events tab.