Priorities:Oregon Institute of Technology Faculty Projects
Contents
Project Name: Connecting Our I&E Ecosystem Dots
Project by Faculty Innovation Fellows Candidate Hallie Ann Neupert
Why is this project important to you, your department, & your Fellows?
Connecting Oregon Tech and the Klamath Falls I&E ecosystem is an important next step in developing a multi-year I&E student experience. Improved university-community partnerships heighten a culture of collaboration, support student innovation while creating value for our community, and increase students’ sense of belonging; all of which align with the goals of my department and our Fellows.
Description
Oregon Tech’s I&E ecosystem is evolving. What once centered around Catalyze Klamath (an annual invention/innovation contest), now includes relationships with UEDA and the Lemelson Foundation and a day-long design thinking workshop (Ready, Set, Innovate!) for high school, community college, and Oregon Tech students. Local community organizations and the university are also preparing a proposal for an entrepreneur-focused Regional Innovation Hub in support of Oregon’s 10-Year Innovation Plan. Currently, a small group of volunteer faculty and community partners plan and execute Ready, Set, Innovate! (a “first-year” experience) and Catalyze Klamath (a capstone experience). To support and sustain these bookend experiences, and to fill out Oregon Tech’s I&E portfolio (“connecting the dots”), infrastructure, systems, and processes are needed. Initially, this could include formalizing management of Oregon Tech’s existing programs and developing systems and processes to strengthen connections between students and community organizations, establishing mechanisms to support collaboration and communication between Oregon Tech and its ecosystem partners. Ultimately, this project could serve as the link between the proposed Regional Innovation Hub and Oregon Tech’s I&E student experiences.
Stakeholders served
- Oregon Tech Students
- Klamath Falls Community: Businesses, Community Organizations, Economic Development Organizations
- Regional Innovation Hub Stakeholders
Key Milestones
- December 2022: Draft project goals, strategies, and outcomes
- March 2023: Propose project structure, systems, and processes
- June 2023: Align project with Innovation Hub proposal
- September 2023: Project Implementation Plan
- December 2023: Execute Implementation Plan
- March 2024: Initial evaluation of project outcomes
An Innovation Portfolio
- Ready, Set, Innovate!/Catalyze Klamath - guidelines, run-of-show, tictoc, etc.
- Infrastructure, systems, processes - whitepaper, proposal
- Calendar of events
Related links
