In February 2021, the University Innovation Fellows (UIF) program received a generous donation to fund the participation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Over the next three years, students and educators at 60 HBCUs will have their program participation fees waived. The application deadline has been extended to May 17, 2021. “Although HBCUs make […]
Applications are live for the University Innovation Fellows program training cycle! The deadline is April 12, 2021.
How can a highly experiential workshop be redesigned for a digital environment? How can a culture of empathy and experimentation be created in a community that’s distributed around the world? And how can we be effective teachers when we can’t be in the same room as our learners? Our team grappled with these and many other […]
198 students from 45 higher education institutions in 14 countries have been named University Innovation Fellows. The University Innovation Fellows program empowers students to become agents of change at their schools. Fellows work to ensure that all students gain the attitudes, skills and knowledge required to navigate a complex world and build the future. These […]
How our team designed an engaging online meetup for our community
by Sedinam WorlanyoOriginally posted on Medium Fight or flight. This theory first described by Walter Bradford Cannon sheds light on a physiological reaction that occurs “in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival.” Your body chooses to flee in a crisis or to stay and fight. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, […]
The UIF Regional Meetup at Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology (VVIT), held January 30-February 2, 2020, brought together Fellows from around the country for three days of design challenges, activities and speakers. By the VVIT UIF team What do you get when you bring together 60 Fellows from across India for three days of design […]
“We believe students can change the world” – The story of how they actually did at the Alps Meetup at FH Salzburg. By Cosima Decho & Julia Brunhuber, University Innovation Fellows, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences “Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for […]
Applications are live for the University Innovation Fellows program Fall 2020 training cycle! The deadline is April 13, 2020.
Fellow Shivanika Shah interviewed Fellows and faculty at Madanapalle Institute of Technology and Science to better understand the impact of the University Innovation Fellows program at their school. By Shivanika Shah, Fellow, JSS Academy of Technical Education, Noida The journey of the University Innovation Fellows in Andhra Pradesh, India was ignited by 6 inspiring students […]
360 students from 90 higher education institutions in 13 countries have been named University Innovation Fellows. The University Innovation Fellows program empowers students to become agents of change at their schools. Fellows work to ensure that all students gain the attitudes, skills and knowledge required to navigate a complex world and build the future. These […]
A few Fellows have started to reach beyond the walls of the university to involve external partners and create resources in the surrounding community. This story is an excerpt from Designing for Change. Yaser Alkayale’s family moved to Canada from Syria in 2006 in search of better educational opportunities. In 2014, Yaser enrolled in Dalhousie University […]
By Titus Venverloo, Fellow, University of Twente From August 11 to 20, 2019, the University of Twente Innovation Fellows hosted their regional meetup in the Netherlands. With 31 students from over 15 countries joining the program, the stage was set for an amazing nine days full of design thinking, leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well […]
Fellows collaborate with faculty and administrators to redesign and create courses at their schools. This story is an excerpt from Designing for Change. Kathryn Christopher found herself in a unique position at Grand Valley State University. She had completed a bachelor’s degree in product design and manufacturing engineering and was one year into her master’s degree […]
Quite a few Fellows have found or created positions to do their innovation work in their university. This story is an excerpt from Designing for Change. When La Salle Fellow Onesimus Morrison was a sophomore, he attended a seminar on innovation and entrepreneurship taught by Professor Steve Melick, director of the La Salle Center for Entrepreneurship. […]
Fellows often use start-ups as a way to involve other students in innovation and entrepreneurship. This story is an excerpt from Designing for Change. When Fellow David Shull arrived at Michigan Tech in 2010 as a computer software engineering major, he dreamed of working for Apple. However, he discovered that his school’s connection to Apple was […]
A number of Fellows start student clubs and organizations as a vehicle to transform learning at their schools. This story is an excerpt from Designing for Change. In 2016, Vanessa Ganaden, a business major from Cal State Fullerton, discovered an interesting club at her school that connected engineering and business students. At the time, she […]
University Innovation Fellows organized LOOP, the first-ever Latin American Innovation Week and the UIF Latin American Meetup in 2018. by Leticia Britos Cavagnaro There is learning about the world, and then there is immersing yourself in the world, and learning as you figure out how you can make an impact. Often times we think that […]
15 Fellows joined UIF co-directors Humera Fasihuddin and Leticia Britos Cavagnaro for SXSW in Austin, TX, in March 2019. They spent several days together learning from speakers, engaging participants, and connecting with one another. Below are a few of their reflections on the experience. A Scoot Through SXSW By Jessica Aldrich, Wichita State University After […]
Transforming higher education into a tool for social innovation was the theme of the Ashoka U Exchange conference. Five Fellows and UIF program co-directors Leticia Britos Cavagnaro and Humera Fasihuddin, held activities and attended sessions at the February 2019 event in San Diego, CA. Below are the Fellows’ reflections on the experience: All of us […]
75 members of the UIF community + an expanding innovation destination + beautiful sand and sun for miles = Eastern Hemisphere Meetup in the United Arab Emirates. Check out the materials and other resources from the event. Picture it: a place where you can go sand dune surfing, design a new innovation strategy for your […]
350 University Innovation Fellows and faculty traveled to the Bay Area for the 2019 Silicon Valley Meetup.
A new book by MIT Press, Does America Need More Innovators?, features a chapter by UIF program co-directors UIF program co-directors Humera Fasihuddin and Leticia Britos Cavagnaro have written a chapter in a newly published book by MIT Press. The book, Does America Need More Innovators?, is an exploration of today’s global imperative to innovate, […]
Our team is thrilled to announce that a book about the UIF program has been published! The book, Designing for Change: Using social learning to understand organizational transformation, was written by renowned social scientists Beverly and Etienne Wenger-Trayner. The book is a case study of the UIF program and brings to life decades of the […]
Applications are live for the University Innovation Fellows program Fall 2019 training cycle! The deadline is March 31, 2019.
Bucknell Fellow William Wall created a brand new design thinking pre-orientation program in just 10 months. by William Wall, University Innovation Fellow, Bucknell University In November 2017, Bucknell’s newest UIF cohort took on the Silicon Valley Meetup. With so many amazing minds and inspirational speeches, I left charged with excitement to make big changes on […]
Fellows from around the U.S. took part in Michigan Tech’s Regional Meetup in October 2018. The Michigan Tech “Colorful Creations” Regional Meetup set out to combine the dramatic landscape of fall foliage with two days immersed in the community innovation culture. The Tech Fellows and faculty hosted 20 participants from seven schools for the Meetup, […]
By Ghanashyam S University of Twente, one of the first institution from Europe to become part of the uifamily, hosted the first ever European Regional Meetup from August 16-20, 2018. 28 people attended, including Fellows and faculty champions from the U.S. and India as well as UIF team members. Twente is hosting their second European […]
358 students from 96 higher education institutions in 16 countries have been named University Innovation Fellows. The University Innovation Fellows program empowers students to become agents of change at their schools. Fellows work to ensure that their peers gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to compete in the economy of the future and make […]
Fellows from India have conducted design thinking workshops at several large global conferences. JSSATE Fellow Shivanika Shah shares reflections from several of those events. By Shivanika Shah, Fellow, JSS Academy of Technical Education, Noida The UIF program welcomed its first Fellows from India in Fall 2016, thanks to an international initiative supported by Google. Since […]
