University Innovation Fellows Program
The University Innovation Fellows program is a national movement to ensure that all students gain the necessary attitudes, skills and knowledge to compete in the economy of the future.
Who are University Innovation Fellows?
University Innovation Fellows are student leaders from schools nationwide who create new opportunities that help their peers develop an entrepreneurial mindset, build creative confidence, seize opportunities, define problems and address global challenges.
In all, nearly 300 fellows at 115 schools collaborate with faculty on new classes, creating student makerspaces, hosting events and workshops, founding clubs, and providing opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
How are fellows selected?
Fellows are sponsored by faculty and administrators at their schools and selected through an application process each spring and fall. After being accepted to the program, candidates take part in a six-week, online-based experiential training, where they connect with a national network of fellows, examine their current entrepreneurial ecosystems, formulate action plans, and begin to implement their ideas.
The program is run by the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter), funded by the National Science Foundation and directed by Stanford University and VentureWell.
The UIF Program at George Fox
George Fox students Sierra Hinds, Jesse Bartel, and Luke Roderick are currently trained as University Innovation Fellows.
The George Fox team, sponsored by KEEN and George Fox University, is composed of three engineering majors. Their goal is to complete a project that will build connections between students of different majors. They are considering doing this through an interdisciplinary class or experience that will serve as the introduction to a future program based on vertically integrated projects.
George Fox University has built a renovated 16,000-square-foot makerspace, the Maker Hub. Since this space is designed to encourage innovative and entrepreneurial thinking, the George Fox fellows would like to ensure that this new resource be used to its fullest potential. Secondary to that goal, interdisciplinary projects will bring the university's community together to produce innovative products.
How Do I Get Involved?
Students who wish to apply for the program should contact professor Chris Sharp at csharp@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2792 for details.