2027 Academic Innovation Winter Institute: Turning Ideas into Action
Innovation doesn’t have to begin with a business plan. It can start with a classroom assignment, a creative solution to a campus challenge or an idea that brings people together.
Those possibilities will take center stage at the Office of Academic Innovation’s annual two-day institute, held Jan. 13-14 in partnership with Student Innovation Idea Labs.
The two-day event themed “Innovate Anywhere: From Ideas to Impact,” invites faculty and staff to explore entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial thinking and discover ways to foster hands-on innovation in their classrooms, departments and across the university.
“A core component of a Signature Polytechnic Education is empowering our students to become impactful problem solvers,” said Winny Dong, interim assistant vice president for Academic Innovation. “An entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial mindset is essential to identifying meaningful challenges and developing effective solutions. The Winter Institute will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and explore the resources that help our students build and practice this mindset.”
The first day of the institute, in Building 162, Room 1001, and will feature a keynote presentation by Ryan Foland, director of the University of California, Irvine’s ANTrepreneur Center, titled “Connecting the Next Dot: How Faculty and Staff Help Students Innovate Anywhere.”
His presentation will emphasize the entrepreneurship goes beyond starting a business. It involves recognizing opportunities, taking initiative, experimenting and creating value. Through an interactive activity, participants will identify resources within their own networks and explore ways to connect students with pathways for innovation.
The first day’s program will also include a panel discussion and collaborative activities centered on the Innovate Anywhere framework, encouraging participants to consider how entrepreneurial thinking can be integrated into their work regardless of discipline.
For Nina Abramzon, conference chair and physics and astronomy professor, faculty play an important role in helping students develop the confidence and creativity to tackle unfamiliar challenges.
“Faculty can incorporate entrepreneurial thinking by designing assignments that ask students to apply disciplinary knowledge to practical problems and connect what they learn in class to the questions they will encounter beyond the university,” Abramzon said.
On the second day of the institute, participants can take part in a complimentary hands-on experience at three of Cal Poly Pomona’s innovation spaces, each offering a different approach to bringing ideas to life.
The iLab, located in Building 1, Room 113, supports creative problem-solving, project development and collaborative innovation.
The Maker Studio, located on the second floor of the University Library, provides tools, and technologies for hands-on design, making and prototyping.
The Community Innovation Hub, located in downtown Pomona, connects campus and community members through workshops, entrepreneurship resources, and collaborative programs that expand access to innovation beyond the university.
“Our philosophy at Student Innovation Idea Labs is simple: You dream it, we help you make it,” said Yao Olive Li, faculty director of the Student Innovation Idea Labs. “These innovation spaces provide students with the tools, mentorship and opportunities to transform ideas into tangible solutions.”
Through exploring these spaces and participating in hands-on activities, faculty and staff will gain firsthand insight into the creative process and discover resources they can introduce to students.
Beyond introducing new ideas and resources, the Winter Institute aims to encourage faculty and staff to translate what they learn into student engagement and experiential learning demonstrating that meaningful innovation can begin anywhere.
To learn more and register for the upcoming winter institute, visit the website or contact the Office of Academic Innovation at ai@cpp.edu.