Starting a Psychology Laboratory at a Community College

Few dispute the importance of introducing undergraduates to the methods of experimental psychology. Unfortunately, the resources aren’t always available to provide access to laboratory research opportunities. The psychology laboratory at Inver Hills Community College outside St. Paul, Minnesota opened its doors to faculty and students on August 24, 2009. Equipped with multiple pods of psychophysiology equipment, the new lab allows faculty in the psychology department to introduce students to psychological experimentation that helps to elucidate psychological science while demonstrating its application to real-life phenomena. The story of how a psychology department at a moderately-sized community college was able to orchestrate the founding of such a laboratory is one of passion, perseverance, and the importance of bidirectional respect between faculty and administrators