A group of undergraduate students from Stony Brook University participated in INNOVATE: Honors Edition, an all-day innovation challenge held on October 17 at the Student Activities Center. The event was designed to help students develop ideas into practical solutions for their local community.
The challenge brought together participants from the Honors College, University Scholars, and WISE Honors programs. The students engaged in design thinking and collaborative problem-solving throughout the day.
“This program was about empowering Honors students to make a difference locally, to think about how they can use their knowledge and creativity to improve Stony Brook, Long Island, or New York State,” said Hannah Estes, director of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Office for Research and Innovation and one of the event organizers. “Some students came in with ideas, others didn’t. Watching them work through the process of identifying real-world problems and developing solutions has been incredible.”
Ten teams addressed topics such as healthcare accessibility, sustainability, campus convenience, and wildlife conservation. Dominique Lee served as mentor for the event.
Catherine Sherman, assistant dean for the University Honors Programs in the Division of Undergraduate Education, described how the event fits with program goals: “Students teamed up across the University Honors Programs to ideate, innovate, and pitch ideas having real community impact,” she said. “They presented thoughtful, researched plans and potential solutions to a range of pressing campus and local issues, from accessible healthcare to tracking dining location wait times on campus. It’s been a celebration of the Honors student community in action.”
Sherman added that this type of programming supports leadership development within honors curricula: “The Honors Innovation Challenge complements the leadership and skills-based learning taking place in Honors curricula, such as the leadership courses in the University Scholars and WISE Honors Programs, and next spring, Ideas Labs in the Honors College,” she said. “This impactful programming equips our Honors students with tools and experiences to be future change agents.”
One team proposed creating deer parks on Long Island to address overpopulation concerns. Tales Cheng explained: “We have a problem with overpopulation and roadkill,” he said. “Creating designated parks could help reduce accidents, support wildlife research, and even create community attractions.” Cheng worked alongside Ken Weng on this project.
Another team focused on repurposing offshore wind turbine blades into public structures like shade canopies or benches while involving local artists and schools. Christina Pan drew inspiration from her internship experience at The New York Climate Exchange: “Right now there’s a huge push for offshore wind,” Pan said. “One of the biggest concerns is what to do with the blades afterward since they’re made of materials that are difficult to recycle. Our idea was to repurpose these blades by transforming them into structures like shade canopies for bike racks or benches for public parks, all while engaging local artists and schools in the process.” Pan collaborated with Leigha Chotalal and Lily Kis-Horvath on this initiative.
Selena Chen developed an app concept inspired by her work at Intellectual Property Partners (IPP): “I noticed that a lot of inventions never make it to market because inventors and companies struggle to connect,” Chen explained. “So we created an app, kind of like matchmaking meets TikTok, that connects inventors with companies who could help commercialize their patents.” The app would feature short videos highlighting technologies for potential collaborators or mentors.
Mentors from several university departments supported participants during project development. Judges included Michael Kinch; Jennifer Adams; Wei Yin; and Jon Longtin—who awarded prizes recognizing innovation quality.
Derek O’Connor commented on student engagement: “It’s exciting to see Honors students apply not just what they’ve learned in their majors, but their interests in the community,” he said. “They’re learning how to pitch, how to commercialize, and how to bring an idea to life.”
Sherman noted that new curricular offerings such as Ideas Labs will further support creative thinking among honors students: new courses along with events like INNOVATE are intended "to help our students think creatively, lead with purpose, and make meaningful change in their communities."
“These students are brilliant, driven, and so focused,” Estes concluded. “They’re learning that innovation doesn’t just happen in a lab or a classroom; it happens when diverse minds come together to solve real problems.”