Colorado School of Mines will showcase the innovative, creative and entrepreneurial spirit of its students during a new weeklong celebration culminating with the university’s hosting of The Wright Awards May 3.
Mines Innovation Week kicks off April 25 with a one-of-a-kind food experience. Students from Introduction to Construction Engineering will build edible structures—think a Rice Krispies Treats “ski resort” and a water treatment plant-themed beverage station—in the Marquez Hall atrium.
The College of Engineering and Computational Sciences’ Capstone Design Showcase leads a full day of events April 26. The day will also feature the first Undergraduate Research Symposium, the finals of the HackMines Newmont Innovation Challenge, an Innovation Expo featuring the Thorson First Year Honors IDEAS Course and Grand Challenges Scholars Program, and a reception for the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Alumni Interest Group.
Computer science students will showcase their class projects May 1 at the Computing Innovation Fair, and first-year students will present ideas for fixing crumbling urban infrastructure at the Cornerstone Final Design Competition May 2.
Capping the week is The Wright Award Night, hosted by Mines for the first time this year. Since its inception in 2010, The Wright has recognized nearly 100 companies as the Rocky Mountain Region’s most innovative outdoor-inspired businesses. Free public workshops, panels and talks featuring more than 40 speakers sharing their perspective on emergent leaders, resilient founders, outdoor capital, the transitioning economies of rural communities, outdoor rec and technology will be held May 1-3 throughout downtown Golden leading up to Award Night. (For a full event schedule, go to thewright.co.)
“I am really excited to see how an innovation fervor has taken hold at Colorado School of Mines over the last several years,” said Kevin Moore, dean of the College of Engineering and Computational Sciences. “While Mines is known as a great place full of really smart people doing really cool things, Innovation Week is the first time we have tried to showcase a bunch of these really cool things at the same time. It will be great to see the variety and array of ideas and ingenuity on display.”