Innovate-A-thon brings together the students from universities across the country, uniting them to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in our world today. In this three-week sprint, students work together to identify, ideate, improve, and implement to present solutions to real-world problems—this time, with a focus on recycling and sustainability.
While students bring creativity, energy, and passion to the table, it’s the mentors who help fuel the innovation engine. Their guidance, expertise, and real-world insights help students stay focused, navigate obstacles, and build technically and economically viable solutions that can make a lasting impact.
We are excited to introduce the two expert mentors who are helping the teams through this high-energy, innovative sprint. Their backgrounds and experience has provided invaluable support for our students as they push the boundaries of recycling innovation.
Kevin Falk: Engineering Expertise to Refine Ideas
Kevin Falk is a professor of engineering at Boise State University, with a deep understanding of engineering principles and a passion for mentoring the next generation of innovators. Kevin is no stranger to the Innovate-A-thon process, having participated in previous events. His experience and familiarity with the four-step approach is crucial in helping students focus their ideas, eliminate non-viable pathways, and refine their solutions to be both technically sound and economically feasible.
Kevin’s role in this IAT has been to provide technical insights that help students translate their conceptual ideas into practical, working innovations. With his guidance, teams have had the opportunity to strengthen their engineering concepts and make sure their solutions are grounded in real-world feasibility.
Connor Reddington: From Concept to Reality
Connor Reddington, an applications engineer at Avid Product Development (a Lubrizol Company), brings industry experience to the table. With a background in design, engineering, and manufacturing, Connor’s expertise lies in advising students on how to bridge the gap between creative concepts and their practical application in the real world.
Connor’s role as a mentor in this sprint has been to guide teams through the implementation processes, ensuring that the ideas developed during the sprint can be realized in an operational environment. His deep knowledge of product development helps students think critically about their choices, constraints, and the scalability of their solutions, turning great ideas into viable solutions.
The Importance of Mentorship in the Innovate-A-thon
Mentors like Kevin and Connor are the backbone of the Innovate-A-thon. Their support ensures that students not only come up with innovative solutions but also gain the skills to make those solutions impactful in the real world.
The Innovate-A-thon experience is about collaboration, learning, and growth. It’s a unique opportunity for students to connect with professionals who have a wealth of knowledge and experience in solving real-world problems. And for mentors, it’s a chance to engage with the next generation of innovators, contribute to sustainability efforts, and help shape the future of recycling technologies.
Stay Tuned to Hear from Our Mentors
We are excited to share that in the coming weeks, Kevin Falk and Connor Reddington will be reflecting on their experiences mentoring the students throughout this sprint. They’ll share insights on how they guided the teams, what stood out in the students' work, and how they saw the innovations evolve over the course of the program.
Session Two of this Innovate-A-thon, where students will have the chance to improve and begin implementing their solutions, is just around the corner! It kicks off tomorrow, Friday, January 10th at 2:30 PM MST. Stay tuned for a recap of how this session unfolds and how the teams make strides toward bringing their innovative solutions to life.
How You Can Get Involved
Interested in mentoring, sponsoring, or donating to Innovate-A-thon? There are plenty of ways to contribute and help us continue fostering innovation in recycling and sustainability.
For more information on how you can support Innovate-A-thon, reach out to sherry@ed2s.org for inquiries.
Thank You for Supporting Innovation
We’re excited to see what solutions the teams will come up with as they work alongside our amazing mentors to tackle the critical issue of recycling and sustainability. Stay tuned for updates and more as we continue to innovate, inspire, and drive change!
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