Top Story
March 10, 2008
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Metro State's First Innovation Week Features Best Ideas from Students
Thinking outside of the box is the wave of the future for Tyler Gray, an industrial design student at Metropolitan State College of Denver who has
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Innoman |
designed a microwave that is not in the shape of a box. Other students are taking their ideas back inside the box. Computer Information Systems major Richard Arbour and Mechanical Engineering Technology major Daimon Fleming have teamed up for a concept called Sign It. The idea enables those working in high-level security industries to log on to their computers by inserting their hand in a concealed box and using sign language.
These are just a sampling of the money-making, life-changing ideas that will be put through the test at Metro State’s first Innovation Week on the Auraria Campus March 10 -13.
Gray, Arbour and Fleming are among five finalists chosen out of 13 entries of inventions or ideas from students at Metro State. They were selected Jan. 29 and have been working with faculty mentors to develop prototypes and/or plans for their inventions. They will present and be judged at the Innovation Challenge Award Ceremony, Tuesday, 7-9 p.m. in Tivoli 320. First-place, second-place and third-place awards of $500, $250 and $150 will be given.
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Mick Jackowski is Interim Director of Metro State's Center for Innovation and Associate Professor of Marketing. |
“It was quite evident from all the entries that there’s a great deal of quality, foresight and creative thinking going on among our students,” said Mick Jackowski, interim director of Metro State’s Center for Innovation and one of the judges.
The four-day event, hosted by the Center for Innovation and the Office of Student Activities, will be held in the Tivoli Student Union and St. Cajetan’s Center. Featured activities include faculty lectures, challenges and award ceremonies, speed networking, and international speakers. Sponsored by Boulder-based Aweida Venture Partners, Innovation Week is free and open to the public.
“I can think of no better place than a college campus to foster the exploration and growth of innovative thought,” said Kersten Hostetter, executive director of Micro Business Development Corporation, who will be speaking on social entrepreneurship at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. “Innovation is all about free thinking, exploration of new ideas and the ability to challenge the existing boundaries. I commend Metro State College of Denver for turning the innovation concept into a real program within their curriculum.”
Innovation Week closes with the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour (www.extremetour.org,) which brings the country's top young entrepreneurs to college campuses to spread the entrepreneurial mindset. Started in fall 2006, the tour has
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The Extreme Innovation Tour will come to campus Thursday, March 13, as part of innovation Week |
visited 22 colleges nationwide and includes talks with four entrepreneurs who each earned $1 million before the age of 25, a Dream Action Workshop on the tools required to take ideas to reality, a speed networking event and an Extreme Entrepreneurship Panel.
Also on Thursday, OppenheimerFunds will present the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards to an outstanding Metro State student and an alumnus.
For more information on the activities for the week, visit www.MetroStateInnovate.org.
