Lone Star College-University Park will hold its second Innovation Week Oct. 12-16, to nurture ideas about new or improved processes and products from students, faculty, staff and the community.
The top ideas from the week will receive an invitation to pitch to LSC-University Park President Shah Ardalan at the Ignite! Competition that begins on Oct. 27.
"Innovation is a major key to our success as a college, and our Invitation2Innovate (i2i) encourages our faculty, staff and students to try new ideas," Ardalan said.
The college hosted its first Innovation Week in March of 2015, when more than 85 ideas were collected and reviewed. One project, presented by Dean of Math & Sciences Veronique Tran, will bring an interactive approach to teaching Biology 1406 by using a Double Robotics telepresence robot to connect an instructor with students in a remote classroom.
A carpooling campaign idea presented in the spring, UP Ride Share, is in the planning stages. Administrators are also developing an idea for a better interface to make transferring from LSC-University Park to the University of Houston-Downtown even smoother.
Christina Robinson, Chief Strategist-Innovation and Research, said she looks forward to seeing a new round of creative ideas.
"Lone Star College-University Park has gained national recognition for and leads the ways in creating a culture of innovation by having the vision and the will to explore new possibilities,” Robinson said. “Innovation Week brings together the vision and ideas to make them a reality."
Several forums for suggesting and developing ideas are planned during the fall Innovation Week.
• An Innovation Booth will be located on the Second floor of Building 12 across from the Minuti coffee shop. No appointment is necessary. Booth times are: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m. to noon; Wednesday, Oct. 14, 3 to 5 p.m.; and Thursday, Oct. 15, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.
• The Innovation Showcase takes place on Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in West Dining on the Second floor of the Commons Building. To apply for a spot in the Showcase, go to LoneStar.edu/IdeaForm.
• Innovation Talks will be held on Oct. 14 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Student Learning Resources Center Teaching Gallery, Building 12, Room 805.
• Ideas can also be emailed to i2i@LoneStar.edu.