Thinc-a-thon: Redesigning the UGA Experience

Imagine 11 students at the University of Georgia (UGA) creating solutions that redesign the home — from refrigerators to floors to lighting. Fast forward 5 months, and there are now 37 students redesigning the student experience at UGA through a similar Thinc-a-thon.

Gregory Wilson, a Fellow and Ph.D. candidate at UGA, developed the original idea for a thinc-a-thon last spring. The name of the event stems from UGA’s entrepreneurship initiative, Thinc. The approach of the event was inspired by IDEO — to get students thinking and creating and designing. The thinc-a-thon is a two day event that began on a Friday and ended the following Saturday evening. By increasing the Thinc-a-thons online marketing, the event more than tripled with participants.

Another perk to garner attention was the grand prize: a trip to Silicon Valley. The student teams, which were predetermined on Friday, presented to panel of 5 judges. Each presentation had 5 minutes, plus two minutes for Q&A to woe the judges. The 2nd place team received a prize of $400. In developing this event, including the prizes, Gregory had established a budget through the Vice Presidents for Research’s Office to purchase all of the supplies and food. However, for the trip to Silicon Valley, Gregory worked with the business school’s entrepreneurship club which takes the trip every year.

Gregory provided the Fellows with the inside scoop to running an event like this Thinc-a-thon. Take a deep dive into the details with him here: Talking With: Gregory Wilson, Thinc-a-thons.