Innovation Center at MC

(Aug, 2018, BES)

There has been increased interest in many academic communities to include, on campus, a physical space where students engage in "active hands-on learning." These physical spaces are known by many names, but are commonly referred to as "maker spaces," fabrication labs ("fab labs"), or "innovation centers." Although these physical spaces were initially developed by STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines, they are beginning to support other innovative initiatives emerging from a variety of non-STEM disciplines. The SOfIA program at Monmouth College represents the "academic-leg" of a "maker space" by supporting this active, hands-on learning across campus; as might be expected the SOfIA program was proposed and managed by physics, chemistry and now history faculty members. One might say that Monmouth College is doing things a bit backwards, by engaging in maker space programs before even having the most prominent academic maker space department, engineering. Physics and Chemistry departments at Monmouth College have traditionally engaged in many active hands-on learning activities through their research requirements. The addition of an engineering program will be able to take advantage of the existing resources (3d printing, laser cutting/etching, machine shop, electronics, etc.) to further support this maker space/innovation movement across campus.

The first job of any institution who wishes to develop a maker space or innovation center needs to clearly define what this resource would look like.

What is an innovation center? How shall it be defined at MC?

MC City Market concept (Sturgeon)

Proposal Slide Show (Sturgeon/Wunderlich)

From the University of Illinois at Chicago, Innovation Center

1) The Innovation Center is a community of industry entrepreneurs and academic researchers working in partnership to instigate breakthroughs: fusing the uncommon, taking risks, thinking big.

2) The Innovation Center’s mission is to produce Innovation and Innovators through 3 approaches to engagement.

Collaboration: Bring industry thought leaders together with university experts to seed innovative thinking and to enable collaboration in design, technology, products, services, and business models."

Education: Our interdisciplinary educational mission seeks to engage faculty and students in close collaboration with corporate partners to develop and commercialize new products.

Incubation: Support innovation activities though the use of the innovation center facilities, capabilities and financial support.

Why does MC need an innovation center?

1) An innovation center will attract students.

2) An innovation center will support/appeal to current students.

3) An innovation center will allow students and faculty to work together on projects outside of the traditional classroom.

Who (faculty/staff/other) will be involved in an innovation center?

1) Connell (PEC)

2) Fasano (Physics)

3) Bolon (PEC)

4) Rothbart (PEC)

5) Wunderlich (Art)

6) Lotz (Art)

5) Sturgeon (Chemistry)

What activities will be going on in the MC innovation center?

1) see list at MC project concept (Sturgeon) and Proposal Slide Show (Sturgeon/Wunderlich)

2) Poster printer/student design facilities,

3) Virtual Reality gaming,

4) other?