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Dalhousie University Student Priorities= Fellow Project Pitches = == Fellow Projects Pitch - 2016 == 

= OVERVIEW = Dalhousie University is located in the heart of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. Local startup ecosystem in Halifax is still at its growing stage. There have been several champions working on developing the ecosystem, but only very recently has the government started to put more pressure on universities to promote entrepreneurship (Prepared by Yaser Alkayale and facilitate deeper connection with the local startup community. Based on this initiative there was a group of political, academic and business leaders formed called oneNS Coalition. The mandate of oneNS Coalition is to instill further growth in the region and a 10 year plan for economic development and sustainability. One of the major topics is entrepreneurship and innovation. Seline Dogan)

= OVERVIEW = Dalhousie University is located in the heart of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. Local startup ecosystem in Halifax is still at its growing stage. There have been several champions working on developing the ecosystem, but only very recently has the government started to put more pressure on universities to promote entrepreneurship and facilitate deeper connection with the local startup community. Based on this initiative there was a group of political, academic and business leaders formed called oneNS Coalition. The mandate of oneNS Coalition is to instill further growth in the region and a 10 year plan for economic development and sustainability. One of the major topics is entrepreneurship and innovation. Going through the training to become University Innovation Fellow, we had a great opportunity to get out of the building and talk to large amount of students and faculty member from across the campus and map out our campus landscape and recognize some of the major shortcomings that need to be addressed. One of our findings was that students are not very aware of the resources and possiblities the E&I community can offer them at Dalhousie and Halifax. Although, some students are aware of some societies, events and spaces that are offered to them, majority of the students are in the mindset that the resources are mostly for business students at Dalhousie. This creates a lack of cross-faculty interaction under E&I. The Sexton Engineering Campus at Dalhousie University is physically isolated from the main campus, Studley. This hinders the opportunity for full collaboration within the main campus. We believe that cross-faculty collaboration is essential for further growth of our startup ecosystem. A great example of this is a company called Spring Loaded, where three students from various faculties met in the Starting Lean Course, came up with an idea for a new generation of knee braces and rose over $1.8 million in seed financing to date. In addition to that, Dalhousie university is commited to make engineering campus for the upcoming $64M Innovation hub, IDEA project. Dalhousie Entrepreneurship Society (D.E.S.) has done tremendous work in the short amount of time they have had since the society was created. Most of the activities and events that we will host will be under D.E.S. because it will give us the platform and power to be in touch with students who have shown some interest in E&I. The D.E.S. will be our main hub that will allow us to get funding and reach the maximum number of students, stakeholder and investors. Our main goal this year is to get increased involvement from students, and for that, we need some funding to be able to bring value to them where they will have the incentive to join our society and take part in our activities.   

We are very pleased with the initiative from the university and the province to create the Innovation Hub (IDEA Building) which is a multipurpose building on Sexton Campus. As University Fellow candidates, we fully support this initiative and are willing to help to further promote it as well as help with information interviews, planning and further ideation on its programs and events. == Tactic no.2 1: Future Plans for Events in the IDEA Project Building == Maker Club - Garage Create a student-led club on Once the IDEA Building is complete, we wish to utilise some of the main campus collaborative spaces that it will promote our main makerspace on Sexton Campusentail to run design workshops and entrepreneurship events out of it. This space would serve as place where By doing so, we prioritise the access of engineering students can get in initial contact with 3D Printing, Electronicswhose campus on which the building will be located, Raspberry Pi’s and morewhile at the same time including students from all Dalhousie campuses. This would create will be a funnel of students on main great way to promote cross-faculty, and even moreso cross-campus for Innovation Hub on Sexton Campuscollaboration and innovation.   

A student-centric organization on campus that aims to build an inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem on the Dalhousie University campus from within by exposing students in all faculties to resources and funding opportunities, organizing hackathons, startup weekends, conferences and connecting them with the local startup community. D.E.S serves as a vehicle to deliver our strategic student priorities and initiatives. == Tactic no.1: ==Build a framework which we can pass along for next generation of student entrepreneurs. == We are building a structure for our society so the new executives for the years to come can have a base to rely on. It is important for us not to just start a society but to also keep it alive and pass it on to other new executives who can take our roles and keep growing it as time goes by. This will be done through getting a ot of people involved with our events and setting guidlines and goals for us to achieve within a timeline. That way, students will take the society seriously and keep it going to achieve its goal of spreading innovation and entrepreneurship around campus. == Tactic no.2: Recruit students in their first and second year to ensure sustainable future for D.E.S. == By getting students involved in the Entrepreneurship Society we can ensure a sustainable future for the society. Society will keep growing as years go by and students will have time to become familiar with E&I before their graduation, which ultimately will increase the chances of more E&I student achievements at Dalhousie. == Tactic no.3: Raise awareness with series of student-driven events, meetups and competitions. == In addition, we are currently in the process of creating new By-Laws and a more comprehensive Constitution to enable us fully establish ourselves as the leading student-led organization promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovation on Campus and help us seek further funding opportunities. == Tactic no.4: Creation of a unified informational system about D.E.S. events via Facebook == We would like to create a Facebook group to complement the current Facebook page that exists for the D.E.S. A Facebook group would allow for a more active D.E.S. online community, that could respond to announcements with feedback and start new discussion threads and ideas. = Strategy #3 - Co-curricular Record (Design Thinking & Lean Methodology) = We proposing to have Design Thinking & Lean Methodology offered as official co-curricular record to motivate students to get introduced to the entrepreneurial mindset. This would serve as an ideal channel to non-invasively encourage students to get involved with entrepreneurship on the campus. == Tactic no.1: Register all the Entrepreneurship and Innovation related events, contests, competitions, workshops etc. on co-curricular database. == We have a great co-curricular record program at Dalhousie Unversity and we would like to leverage that to attract more students into our events and workshops. It is very important that students get recognized for the work that they have done, and showing them that the activities that they do with us will be officially recorded on their transcript is just an extra incenstive to attracting them into our programs.  == Tactic no.2: Enable students to enter their volunteer, participant, mentor, speaker, winner positions within E&I on their co-curricular record which later will benefit their resume. == By allowing students to specify their roles for the specified events, workshops, contests, projects etc. in the co-curricular record will build the desire of wanting to engage more and be a part of something. This way students can have an attachment to the event, workshop etc. they took a part in.  

=Strategy #4 – Rethinking the Collider and other entrepreneurship spaces on campus = Tactic no.2: == Recruit students in their first and second year to ensure sustainable future for D.E.S.

== Tactic no.3 == Raise awareness with series The Collider is a multipurpose space in Killam Library for the collision of student-driven events, meetups serendipitous ideas where from all academic and professional disciplines can come together to develop ideas and and competitionscreate the future generation of innovators. In additionThe Collider connect students, we are currently in the process of creating new By-Laws local startups, mentors, investors and a more comprehensive Constitution allows them to work together to enable us fully establish ourselves as help further grow the leading studentlocal startup ecosystem. Killam Library is the least-led organization promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovation siloed space on Campus the campus and help us seek further funding opportunitiesplace where people come together.

= Strategy #3 - Collider Space in Library (Innovation space in Killam Library) =The Collider is a multipurpose space Tactic no.1: Hosting regular workshops and hackathons in Killam Library for the collision of serendipitous ideas where from all academic and professional disciplines can come together order to develop ideas and and create the future generation of innovators. The Collider connect get students, local startups, mentors, investors more informed and allows them to work together to help further grow the local startup ecosystem. Killam Library is the least-siloed space on the campus and place where people come together. It is in our best interest to help push this initiative to its full potential. engaged about E&I ==

== Tactic no.1: ==Series As part of Hackathonsour initiative to get more students involved from all faculties, Events & Conferences we will be hosting regular events and workshops for students to gain all the skills they need to run a startup. These workshops have to be regular so students get to know the schedule and come as they have available time. The Collider would workshops will be hosted by guest speakers and facilitated by volunteers. The topics we wish to cover include coding for beginners, design, making effective phone calls, and much more. Additionally we wish to host monthly hackathons with a different theme each month. One month it can be for ocean science and ocean projects, while another month it can be a computer science hackathon and possibly a medical science hackathon. These hackathons will serve as a great venue place for a series students who have ideas in each of student-led Hackathons, Events & Conferencesthese disciples to come together and work on them.

== Tactic no.2: Promote the Collider as more of a specifically entrepreneurial space or modify an existing space ==Encourage students to use the collider space for design thinking.

= Strategy #4 - Co-curricular Record We wish to transform the Collider (Design Thinking & Lean Methodologyor modify a new existing space) =into a more entrepeneurship and innovation-oriented space. We will do this by physically transforming the room, "theming" it with entrepreneurship and innovation inspirational quotes on the wall, etc. We proposing also wish to have Design Thinking & Lean Methodology offered as official coregular walk-curricular record to motivate in times every week, when students can come in and work on their own entrepreneurial ideas in the space. We wish to get introduced have a posted professor or other university staff with experience in entrepreneurship present during these times to the entrepreneurial mindsetanswer any questions that students may have about startups, and provide help on specific issues should students need it. This would serve as an ideal channel We also wish to non-invasively encourage enable students to get involved with entrepreneurship on use physical office/home supplies to create their prototypes right in the campus. == Tactic no.1: ==Register all collider/other space during the Entrepreneurship and Innovation related workshops, events, or contests, competitions, workshops etc. on co-curricular database.== Tactic no.2: ==Enable This will allow students to enter their volunteer, participant, mentor, speaker, winner positions within E&I on their co-curricular record which later will benefit their resumecreate a physical prototype and get one step closer to the final product.

= Strategy #5 – Start Hold More Student-Lead Hackathons on a bi-weekly E&I Newsletter to Keep Students and Stakeholders Informed Regular Basis =Our main issue around campus right now is to to get the word out and to get students involved with entrepreneurship and to pursue their ideas. After a lot of customer discover, we find that a newsletter to get the word out would be the ideal way to let students, faculty and alumni know about our activities and events that we are hosting.

== Tactic noWe want to challenge the idea that hackathons are only tech-related.1: ==Grow a newsletter network of In order to get studentsfrom all backgrounds and faculties involved, alumniwe have to host hackathons for different disciplines like a hackathon for computer science, one for health sciences and another for ocean science. Dalhousie Entrepreneurship Society held the first student-led hackathon for Oceanography and stakeholdersMarine programs Hackamarine 2015. Hackamarine is going to be an annual event held at Dalhousie University, a school well known for its world-class Marine & Oceanography programs. This is a cross-faculty event aiming to bring talent from various fields to work on major problems in Oceans & Marine Sciences. The winning teams took home a cumulative total of $5,000 in prizes.

== Tactic no.21: ==Keep Start the newsletter network poseted aboutE&I related news, events, workshopsDalhousie Hackathon Series (DHS), conpetitions etca series of monthly held hackathons created by partnering with different organizations and faculties to ensure collaboration. ==

== Tactic noAs mentioned above, the hackathons will be a great way to get all students involved in different fields and to start to get them innovating.3: ==Encourage people The hackathons will have different themes, but they will all be open to sign up all students so everyone is welcome to join and keep reading learn about the newsletter by hosting regular give away drawsdifferent topics. We believe this will be a great way to attract students from all around dalhousie and get them together working on great ideas. Having traditional hackathons is great, but adding different topics and inviting the general student body will ensure high attendance numbers and excitement for everyone.

= Strategy #6 – Promote = Tactic no.2: Make Hackathons inviting for any student all over the use four campuses of The Collider Dalhousie University. ==

== Tactic no.1: ==Hosting regular workshops in order We decided to get students more informed and engaged about E&IAs part of our initiative to get more call all the students involved from around all facultiesfour campuses into action! Sending out emails, we will be hosting regular events and workshops for students to gain all hanging posters on the skills they need to run a startupwalls, creating social media invitations etc. These workshops have We are dedicated to be regular so grab the attention of students get to know the schedule and come as they have available time. The workshops will be hosted by guest speakers and facilitated by volunteersin different faculties. The topics we wish We want to cover include coding show students that E&I isn't only for beginners, design, making effective phone calls, engineering and much morebusiness students.

=Strategy #6 - Encouraging Cross-Faculty Understanding and Shared Experience =Tactic no.1: ==Keep Hackamarine running annually to get more oceanography/earth sciences students engaged in E&I.

==Tactic noIn order to enhance the interaction between students across faculties, we aim to launch a class-exchange system where they can take the classes with students from other faculties in a monthly basis.2:==Start the Dalhousie Hackathon Series (DHS)The way how it works is that some specific classes from each faculty would offer up to 10 students per month, to voluntarily take a series part in the class. The potential outcomes of monthly held hackathons created by partnering with different organizations this system would let students walk into the shoes of others in terms of academic lives of one to another. In addition to that, they can connect and faculties get to know students from variety of faculty for a greater ability to form a diverse team once they decide to ensure collaborationtake their innovative ideas and start working on it as entrepreneurs.

==Tactic no.31: Get in touch with stakeholders to ensure the success of exchange system ==Make Hackathons more exciting/inviting by challenging students all over the four campuses of Dalhousie University.

Fall 2017: [[Justin JavorekAristides Milios]] [[Canberk Bal]] Spring 2016: [[Yaser Alkayale|Yaser Alkayale]] [[Séline Dogan|Séline Dogan]]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Yaser_Alkayale Yaser Alkayale[Justin Javorek|Justin Javorek]]

[[Séline DoganDhruv Bhatia|Dhruv Bhatia]]