The Innovation Hub is looking to create positive change at U of T in five areas: access for every student, fostering connectedness, future-ready students, integrated learning experiences and whole student development. Join us for the November Innovation Hours and share…
Meet the Innovation Hub Team!
By Julia Smeed, Innovation Hub Project Lead
A year ago I would have never imagined that I’d be taking on the Innovation Hub project. I feel that leading the Innovation Hub is the best job at U of T! I love to see how people from diverse backgrounds and with a wide range of life experiences can come together to create change. To me, the spirit of innovation is really in the collaboration and creativity of talented people coming together and each contributing in a unique way. We are living in an age where technology and ideas are moving faster than we can and it is so hard to keep up with the innovation and disruption that exists all around us. Yet one thing that technology can never replace is that creative spark that happens when like minded people come together with a common purpose.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship – A Place to Start
By Carey Toane, UofT’s Entrepreneurship Librarian & Innovation Hub Ambassador
I hear a lot about innovation in my work. As entrepreneurship librarian at U of T, I work with startups on campus, whether they are taking a course, or enrolled in one of nine campus linked accelerators, or commercializing their graduate research, or working away in stealth mode in their dorms. These students are highly motivated, taking on the “drinking from a firehose” experience of starting a company on top of regular studies and other responsibilities. It’s incredibly inspiring to hear about their ideas and help them find information to support their pitch decks.
October Innovation Hours
Over the next two weeks we’re calling on students, faculty, staff and U of T community members to join us in creating a map of the U of T ecosystem as it relates to our five domains of innovation. We…
Meet the Innovation Hub Student Leaders
They can’t wait to meet you and we know that you can’t wait to meet them, so they created a short video to tell you a bit more about themselves and why they decided to join the Innovation Hub!
Mark Your Calendars – October & November Innovation Hours
The Innovation Hour is a great opportunity to come together with like-minded students, staff, faculty and community members who wish to create a more seamless student experience at University of Toronto. The Innovation Hours are hosted in the Baldwin…
Meet the Hub’s Student Leadership Team and Join our First Team Meeting
By Margaryta Ignatenko, Operations Team Student Innovation Leader
Imagine a University of Toronto where every student’s experience is seamless from initial contact to graduation and beyond. A place where students feel a sense of community and connectedness, experience both academic and personal success and feel well equipped for their futures.
The Innovation Hub doesn’t see this as a distant reality – we are seeking to better understand the unique needs of U of T students through the use of student-centred design thinking. We value listening and empathising with our students, we seek out their voices whenever we plan, program and make decisions. We have carefully crafted a team which will collaborate with a diverse range of U of T students, community members and staff to explore the future of student experience at the University of Toronto. The team members’ different experiences, skill sets and educational backgrounds will provide a constant, authentic and diverse presence of student voices throughout the project.
Let the Team Building Begin
By Julia Smeed, Innovation Hub Project Lead
Happy Monday! It’s the first day of classes for most students in our St. George community, so let me begin by wishing you an incredible start to the new school year. Amidst the whirlwind of activity going on around campus this week, I hope you can take a few moments to breathe that crisp fall air and appreciate the beautiful campus that surrounds you!
I’m excited to let you know that our student leadership team is now established and you’ll have a chance to meet them later this week as they introduce themselves on the blog. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but I can say that we have a fantastic team of students to lead our Hub.
Beyond Traditional Leadership – Leading for Creativity
By Julia Smeed, Innovation Hub Project Lead I was inspired this morning by Linda Hill, a Management professor and Co-Author of Collective Genius. As I think about how we move forward in the Innovation Hub, I found myself nodding through her entire…
Empathy & Design
By Julia Smeed, Innovation Hub Project Lead In order to realize the Innovation Hub vision to create a seamless student experience for at the University of Toronto, we must gain a deeper understanding about the current student experience. One way that…