InnovationSpace is a transdisciplinary educational experience for all upper division and graduate students at ASU. This transformative experience provides students with the opportunity to build the skills of the future and develop their capacity for collaboration and innovation in a classroom setting. Whether you are looking to work with a team of students or want more real-world project experience, InnovationSpace is something to explore, and here are the top three things you need to know.
1. Learn in a transdisciplinary learning environment
For over 13 years InnovationSpace has been creating a transdisciplinary learning environment for students, in partnership with the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and W. P. Carey School of Business. And this past academic year brought the addition of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, and the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute.
These partnerships allow for teams of students from different disciplines to look at a problem from multiple viewpoints. Using the Integrated Innovation model, you will work with your team to spend your time researching, developing, and refining concepts that allows for the students to gain valuable experience in a cross functional team. The transdisciplinary environment allows for partnerships with the Fulton Capstone Projects, the W. P. Carey Interdisciplinary Learning Labs, and Barrett, The Honors College thesis projects.
2. Gain hands-on experience with a company or community organization
Most often students are interested in InnovationSpace because they connect directly with a company or organization to gain tangible experience. Some of these companies have big, recognizable names such as Honeywell or Intel and others are smaller start-ups, such as BrettApproved, that was founded as platform for people with disabilities to explore what hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, etc are the most accessible.
Real-time mentorship from these companies allows students to develop new systems, services and products knowing that they are producing what people or businesses are looking for. Partners get the opportunity to extend their research, explore underserved markets, and collaborate with students and faculty from one of the country’s most dynamic universities.
3. Apply to get a spot
Submit an application to be a part of InnovationSpace to ensure that each team can have students from a different academic college. Share insights about why you and your goals, so you can get assigned to a project based on your unique interests and background. Write about why you want to be a part of InnovationSpace and what you might bring to the classroom setting.
The application is short, asking for basic demographic information and what projects interest you the most. Each project is associated with a three to five credit hour class, depending on your individual academic requirements. After admission to the program you will get information about which class to register for. The application and student testimonials for InnovationSpace can be found here.
InnovationSpace will allow you to open your mind and explore concepts that will lead to innovative solutions that face our world today. If you are looking for a project that will contribute to a better society and challenge the traditional ways of education, InnovationSpace is the program for you.
