Creativity, Innovation, and Design

This past semester I took part in a exploratory course that focused on creativity, innovation, and design. We were tasked with solving a multifaceted real problem that a local organization had. The first couple of weeks were focused on introducing design thinking and problem solving skills which were then utilized and further explored when working on or final project with our organization. We even built our own workspace in the library called “The Cage” that was just for our class. The walls were lined with whiteboards that were quickly filled with diagrams, notes, and post-its. Not only did we create this room in the basement of one of the libraries, but we built our own tables (in a week mind you) that are still standing!

The course was led by five different faculty members from different departments and disciplines including: business, biology, physics, and english. They all brought their different views and experience which was vital to the success of the course and the students professional development. There is immense value in having different views on the same topic, it can lead to quality discussions and varying ways to solve a problem. As a BOS (Business, Organizations, and Society) major I don't always interact with people in the biology department or the english department. We took ownership of our projects really making them our own. I drew upon previous internship and academic experience while also incorporating the design thinking and problem solving skills I learned in this course.

Please take a look at this article to learn more about the course (and see some pictures of me), and feel free to contact me with any questions.