Innovate Labs is dedicated to hands-on discovery. Beyond tech kits and continuous learning opportunities, Innovate Labs offers a variety of programs to help students and faculty become immersed in emerging technologies.
Lab programs are designed and run by Innovate Labs Specialists to apply broader ideas and relate them to emerging technologies. Collaborative programs are collaborations between Innovate Labs and other organizations. These programs aim to help spread awareness and understanding of emerging technologies and are divided into two categories: internal and external. Internal programs are collaborations between Innovate Labs and other UConn organizations. External programs are collaborations between Innovate Labs and organizations that do not fall under UConn.
Clubs and Learning Communities
Faculty and Classes
Programs for faculty members and classes consist of Innovate Labs facilitating emerging technology related activities. This can include a single visit during a class session with a tailored activity, or it can include a multi-week enhancement to the class. Innovate Labs also collaborates with classes to give students class credit for completing tech kits.
External
Our external programs collaborate with local K-12 schools, companies, and nonprofits. External programs can consist of Innovate Labs Specialists travelling to another location with emerging technology activities or hosting the external organization at UConn.
Lab Programs
UNIV 1820: Introduction to Emerging Technologies
Innovate Labs offers a UNIV 1820 course for first and second year students. The class helps students explore a variety of different emerging technologies under the guidance of a Lab Specialist.
Seeds2Sustain
Seeds2Sustain is a 9-week non-credit program that runs for an hour and half each week. During the program, students can learn about food insecurity and how to combat it on a personal level through hydroponics. They will have the opportunity to learn about hydroponics, food insecurity, nutrition, cooking, and more. At the conclusion of the program, students will receive a personal hydroponic grower that they get to take home.
Innovate2Create
Innovate2Create is a 9-week program designed to help students with entrepreneurial drive that want to create a prototype using technology. The program helps students learn about the process of using technology and resources to produce a MVP. Students will get one-on-one mentoring with a Lab Specialist to help develop their prototype. At the end of the program, each student gets the chance to pitch their prototype and earns a scholarship to help them develop their prototype further.
Collaborative Programs: Internal
Allied Health
Special tech kits were designed to teach Allied Health students about using emerging technologies for their related field. The tech kits were developed by Innovate Labs Specialist and brought to Allied Health classes for demonstration.
MSE2053
MSE 2053 has an assignment where students design their own coin which is used to create a mold for their coin. Once the mold has been created, they cast their coins to take home. MSE2053 students came to Innovate Labs where they learned how to 3D-model the designs for their coin using SolidWorks.
Engineering House
Every Engineering House UNIV class came to Innovate Labs and completed two stations. The first station was focused on how to use virtual reality (VR). The second station was about using robotics by playing robot soccer.
Collaborative Programs: External
Tolland Boy Scouts
The Innovate Labs Specialists bring drones, robots, snap circuits, and 3D printing pens for the Tollan Boy Scouts to explore. They get hands-on experience with technologies that many of them have not been exposed to.
Mansfield Youth Center
The Innovate Labs Specialists created a tutorial for how to utilize virtual reality (VR) to its fullest potential. They brought VR headsets to the youth center for the middle schoolers to use.