Pitt-Johnstown is home to the Cook Family Idea Lab, which fosters the development of ideas and projects for student and community entrepreneurs.
The lab is located in 132 Biddle Hall and is equipped with floor-to-ceiling whiteboards, a large bulletin board, writable tables, comfortable chairs, and a projection system.
The multi-use space is devoted to idea and product development, small classes, presentations, mentorship and entrepreneurship meetings, and workshops. The facility was developed, in large part, by the support of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies and the Picking Entrepreneurial Fund.
The Cook Family Idea Lab is named for the family of G. Henry Cook, President and CEO of Somerset Trust Company. A gift from the Somerset Trust Company was made to Pitt-Johnstown in 2015.
Grants from the Benjamin Bosler Fund and the Robert Waters Charitable Trust, both of the Community Foundation, support an expanding entrepreneurship curriculum at Pitt-Johnstown.
The grants have equipped the facility with a 3-D printer and wide-format printer, both of which are key to visualizing and refining product ideas.