Innovators

INNOVATORS/HNRC 300VH-002
TUESDAYS, 5-6:15 p.m., SPRING 2020
UPCHURCH CONFERENCE ROOM, BELL

The deadline to apply to our spring 2020 Honors College Forums (via this application form) is 11:59 p.m. Friday, November 1, 2019.

"Innovation is about practical creativity, it's about making new ideas useful. You can use the knowledge ... to become a more effective creative thinker. You can become a leader who can encourage others to make new ideas successful. Innovation is about solving problems creatively -- useful wherever we want to make something better. New ideas can solve problems and create opportunities."

--The Innovation Book, p. xxiii.

While most people recognize innovation in science and business, innovation takes place every day in every area of life. Innovators are everywhere! Consider these very successful innovators:

Sir James Dyson, inventor: 5,126 failed prototypes over 15 years before succeeding.
J. K. Rowling, writer: a depressed, single mom on welfare, before Harry Potter.
Claude Monet, artist: mocked and rejected, and started the Impressionism movement.
Cecelia Payne, scientist: disrespected and ignored, identified with the sun’s composition.
Antoni Gaudí, architect: struggled with acceptance, his vision exemplifies Barcelona.
…and countless others!

Join us this spring as we meet with some of the very best innovators from a variety of fields. Learn how they innovate in art; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); architecture; and business; as well as for the social good. We will also discuss the need to embrace failure and the many ways in which the successful guest speakers have themselves experienced failure many times. And we will examine how this can be applied to and integrated into your future. This multi-college interdisciplinary class will introduce students to the key elements of innovation:

Creating and recognizing a good idea.
Creating empathy and awareness for the need and the solution.
Understanding the value of the innovation.
Creating a strategy for implementation.

Students will have the opportunity to network with speakers and enjoy a light dinner after class.

About Karl Schubert and Alan Ellstrand:

Karl Schubert is a research professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas. His academic research focuses on providing innovation programs for STEM education; multi-college, interdisciplinary data science curriculum; and student, faculty and industry innovation engagement. Schubert also serves as a consultant specializing in innovation, entrepreneurship, technology and organizational optimization for new and ongoing companies. He earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the U of A, his master's in chemical engineering from the University of Kentucky, and his Ph.D. in engineering from the U of A. Dr. Schubert has been awarded nine U.S. and international patents and is a fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. He also has 35 years of industry experience, including serving as a CIO, CTO, COO and consultant for start-ups, mid-size, and enterprise companies such as IBM, Dell, Lifetouch, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and (most recently) ShopTimely.

Alan Ellstrand is associate dean of academic programs and research for the Sam M. Walton College of Business. He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University and has an M.B.A. in strategic management from Northern Illinois University. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Illinois. His major areas of research include corporate governance, top management teams and executive leadership. He has received several awards, including the University of Arkansas Alumni Association Award for Teaching and Service, the Walton College Award for Outstanding Service and the Walton College Outstanding All-Around Faculty Award. Prior to serving as associate dean, Ellstrand was chair of the Department of Management and director of M.B.A. programs for the Walton College.