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| Jennifer Collins, FAMU associate professor of management |
The event was sponsored by the HBCU Innovation,
Commercialization, Entrepreneur Platform (HBCU I.C.E.), a collaboration of the
United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Association of Public and Land-grant
Universities (APLU), and the White House Initiative on HBCUs.
The event displayed innovations from the top student teams in
the country who have identified challenges in their local communities and have
designed solutions to meet those challenges.
FAMU students Shelby Avery, a first-year MBA candidate; Jamel Booth, a third-year theatre and facilities management student; Garneisha Hibbert, a third-year industrial engineering student; and David Holmes, a first-year accounting student presented their project “Innovative Education Ecosystem” during the showcase.
The project focuses on improving student retention and
engagement in the areas of entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering,
arts, and mathematics. The core principle of the project is called “Lifting as
We Climb,” which focuses on offering a community support system for students
and their parents. It also engages FAMU
students, faculty, and staff in volunteer service at local schools that serve
students who may not have access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food
options.
The team identified students from Bethel Christian Academy
and the FAMU Developmental Research School to work with
and designed the project to teach students about food sustainability and environmental
awareness through diverse disciplines, while promoting character building.
The project includes initiatives such as teaching youth to
build vertical gardens using recycled bottles, creating artistic productions
that promote awareness about healthy and sustainable food supply, developing
recycling, composting, and gardening programs, and conducting workshops to
teach students to develop and implement business ideas related to food
sustainability.
According to Jennifer Collins, an associate professor of management at FAMU
SBI, who mentored the students, the university’s selection to participate in
the national event is representative of its unique interdisciplinary approach
to encouraging its students to blend entrepreneurial skills and STEM
disciplines to become problem solvers for the needs of society.
“At FAMU we strive to ensure that our students leave here
with the ability to advance knowledge, resolve complex issues, and empower
citizens and communities,” Collins said. “An invitation for our students to
display their work on a national level at such a prestigious and influential
event is the proof in the pudding.”
The students pitched their project during an HBCU Makers
reception at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill and also showcased their work at the National Maker Faire and at the University of the District of Columbia.