Radio Journalist and Entrepreneur Alex Blumberg ’89 Talks Future of Audio</h1> <article> <h1>Radio Journalist and Entrepreneur Alex Blumberg ’89 Talks Future of Audio</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 16:44:50 +0000</p> <span>Radio Journalist and Entrepreneur Alex Blumberg ’89 Talks Future of Audio</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-03-12T12:44:50-04:00" title="Thursday, March 12, 2020 - 12:44">Thu, 03/12/2020 - 12:44</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Radio journalist and podcast entrepreneur Alex Blumberg ‘89 told students that narrative storytelling skills will be critical for anyone hoping to break into a career in audio during a recent talk sponsored by �鶹��Ƶ’s Center for Innovation and Impact. </p> <p>Blumberg is the cofounder of <a href="https://gimletmedia.com/">Gimlet Media</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>, an award-winning podcast network that has produced the critically acclaimed shows <em>Reply All</em>, <em>Startup</em>, <em>Homecoming</em>, and <em>Heavyweight</em>. He got his start in public radio as a producer for <em>This American Life</em> and creator of <em>Planet Money</em>. </p> <p>Blumberg <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oberlin/sets/72157713385866682/">spoke about his experiences</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> as a radio journalist, podcast producer, and entrepreneur as a prelude to �鶹��Ƶ’s annual LaunchU <a href="/news/launchu-awards-35000-startup-funds-students-and-alumni">pitch competition</a>. </p> <p>“I think we’re in the second ‘golden age’ of radio,” said Blumberg, explaining that on-demand audio changed the media landscape drastically, and it’s the reason why serialized storytelling is so common today. “The path for audio will continue to widen, but the biggest thing we need is talent.” </p> <p>Blumberg shared with students the important elements of narrative storytelling—skills that he acquired on the job at <em>This American Life</em>. </p> <p>“When I started <em>Planet Money</em>, we were watching digital audio take off. Seeing the trends happening, I decided to start a company. I had learned the narrative bootcamp of <em>This American Life</em> with Ira Glass; I had learned a lot of tricks about ‘what is audio good at.’ I thought I could make a business out of that knowledge.”</p> <p>In 2019, his company Gimlet Media was acquired by Spotify for more than $200 million. Blumberg told students he didn’t see himself as an entrepreneur, though.</p> <p>“I was in nonprofits my entire life. My first job in the public sector was when I started Gimlet. What �鶹��Ƶ taught me was to care about things other than money. That’s really important for entrepreneurship. What makes you a good entrepreneur is that the money is secondary—because you’re trying to do something differently or solve a problem or address a need. </p> <p>“The world changed around me by the time I became really good at what I was doing. All the conditions were in place, and I kept saying, ‘somebody should do this.’ Once I jumped into the waters, I realized that what was helping me was that I wasn’t in it for the money. I was in it for the craft and the vision.”</p> <p>Blumberg was invited to campus by fourth-years Johan Cavert and Sarah Dalgleish, producers of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weekly/id1299557943"><em>The Weekly</em></a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>, a podcast in collaboration with the <em>�鶹��Ƶ Review</em> and �鶹��Ƶ College and community radio station WOBC-FM. </p> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-03-12T12:00:00Z">Thu, 03/12/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2395">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2569">Alumni-Student Connections</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Alex Blumberg '89 reflects on the �鶹��Ƶ entrepreneurial spirit, his experience with storytelling and podcasting, and the recent acquisition of his company by Spotify.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>LaunchU Awards $35,000 in Startup Funds to Students and Alumni</h1> <p>anagy — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 17:55:50 +0000</p> <span>LaunchU Awards $35,000 in Startup Funds to Students and Alumni</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-03-11T13:55:50-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 11, 2020 - 13:55">Wed, 03/11/2020 - 13:55</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>LaunchU awarded a total of $35,000 in startup funding to entrepreneurs of the �鶹��Ƶ community, including students and alumni, in its eighth annual pitch competition on March 6.</p> <p>A cornerstone of �鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="/innovation-and-impact/about-center-innovation-impact">Center for Innovation and Impact</a>, the LaunchU competition begins in September and culminates in March with final pitches. Teams of budding entrepreneurs undergo a series of intense training sessions, professional development and networking opportunities, and a boot camp during winter term in January to prepare. In March, they present their ideas to a panel of judges who determine awards and distribute the funds. This year, LaunchU trained 14 teams, 11 of which presented at the competition.</p> <p>First place went to Twine, a mobile recommendation service for college students interested in joining different clubs and organizations. The team was awarded $15,000 and will use the funding to work side by side with more schools to expand their business. Twine is led by chief project manager Colton Potter ’21 along with Minh Lam ’21, Khang Nguyen ’21, and Osama Abdelrahman '23. </p> <p>According to Potter, “students lack a personalized window into campus life that they care about. There’s no quick way for them to find events that they’re interested in, and there’s no resource with updated information on student organizations,” and Twine is the solution to that problem, he says. The service will launch in August 2020 as part of �鶹��Ƶ College’s New Student Orientation program.</p> <p>Second-place winner Henry Aberle ’16, CEO and founder of TVSensei, was awarded $12,000 for his product, ChaCha, cofounded with Kefan Yang. ChaCha is an online marketplace for language learning. The product brings together intermediate to advanced language learners with native instructors for online lessons that are centered on video.</p> <p>“We’re less of a solution for learning a language, and more of a solution for maintaining your language abilities,” said Aberle, who cited ChaCha as a solution to the “use it or lose it” mentality around language learning.</p> <p>The third-place prize of $6,000 went to Iliana Zamorska ’12, CEO and founder of Yoga For Thinking Machines, and McLean Sammon ’19 for their product, Grownote, an app that helps people use social media mindfully by tracking their usage and incorporating mindfulness practices. The team will use the funds to develop a prototype for beta testing at �鶹��Ƶ.</p> <p>Zamorska called Grownote “a new kind of digital community,” one that fosters “authentic expression.”</p> <p>View our <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmLT5Ro5">Flickr album</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> for more photos from the pitch competition.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-03-11T12:00:00Z">Wed, 03/11/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Kyra McConnell ’22</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Eighth annual pitch competition awards seed funding to three teams to further develop their business ventures. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2395">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3238">LaunchU</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2389">Young Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/computer-science" hreflang="und">Computer Science</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The first-place prize was awarded to Twine, a venture developed by third-years Colton Potter ’21, Minh Lam ’21, Khang Nguyen ’21, and Osama Abdelrahman '23.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jack Lichtenstein '23</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Creativity and Leadership is now the Center for Innovation and Impact</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 16:00:34 +0000</p> <span>Creativity and Leadership is now the Center for Innovation and Impact</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-09-11T12:00:34-04:00" title="Tuesday, September 11, 2018 - 12:00">Tue, 09/11/2018 - 12:00</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Q. Creativity and Leadership is changing its name to the Center for Innovation and Impact. What does this change signify?</strong></p> <p>A: As our students enter the “Innovation Economy,” entrepreneurial thinking skills will be ever more important and desired, particularly for leadership roles within all sectors. The new title more closely describes the function and mission of the Center as a place that provides programming and curriculum that fosters entrepreneurial thinking, campus-wide. “Innovation” is what you get when education and imagination are combined to solve problems. “Impact” is what happens when innovation is combined with entrepreneurial thinking and skills to cause some form of change. </p> <p><strong>Q: What does the newly-named Center for Innovation and Impact offer that’s different from Creativity and Leadership?</strong><br> <br> A: Creativity and Leadership housed the single module Intro to Entrepreneurship class, the XARTS and FIGS grants that provide students funding to explore innovative projects, and the venture startup bootcamp and funding program called LaunchU. The Center for Innovation and Impact includes these original elements but is developing additional programming and content in partnership with faculty, departments, and centers to engage more students in the process of innovation to impact for positive change.</p> <p>An illustration of this new programming is our work with the <a href="/bcsl">Bonner Center</a> in the development of a three-part workshop for the Junior Bonner Scholars. The fall 2018 workshop will engage three of the Bonner Center’s nonprofit partners to identify problems for which the students will design solutions. Another example is the exploration of co-curricular programs with <a href="/laura-baudot">Laura Baudot</a>, associate dean of the college of arts and sciences, in the �鶹��Ƶ Center for Convergence (StudiOC). I’m ready to collaborate with any faculty who are interested in offering some aspect of entrepreneurial thinking within their curriculum.</p> <p>Finally, the Center for Innovation and Impact is partnering with others who are engaged in entrepreneurial skill building. For example, we are supporting the Entrepreneurship Club’s first ever Startup Weekend, a weekend-long entrepreneurial program.</p> <p><strong>Q: Why is it important for students to learn how to develop an entrepreneurial mindset?</strong></p> <p>A: In our rapidly changing world, it is becoming more important that education not only include rigorous teaching, but also the ability to activate that knowledge. Entrepreneurial thinking is the action step of a contemporary education. At its core, it seeks to identify problems, find solutions, and develop sustainable action plans that meet the specific needs of individuals or groups. Entrepreneurial thinking is not developed from just one class but rather from its practice in a variety of situations and applications.</p> <p><strong>Q: Who can get involved with programs in the Center for Innovation and Impact, and are there any requirements?</strong> </p> <p>A: Except for specific programs, such as those in the Bonner Center, anyone within the �鶹��Ƶ community is invited to participate, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents. The only requirement is curiosity, a desire to drive positive change, and the ability to work hard. </p> <p><strong>Q: So far, what programming is planned for this year?</strong></p> <p>A: We have a variety of programming planned, including Startup Weekend from September 21 through 23 and hosted by the �鶹��Ƶ Entrepreneurship Club; various Innovation Talks, the first of which is “Designing the Future with Digital Innovation” on September 27; and LaunchU 2019, which is holding info sessions on September 28 and October 11.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-09-10T12:00:00Z">Mon, 09/10/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>We talked with Bara Watts, director of the Center for Innovation and Impact, about the change and what it means for the campus.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2401">Resources for Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2395">Entrepreneurship</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/laura-baudot" hreflang="und">Laura Baudot</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A workshop during LaunchU 2018</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Entrepreneurial Thinking in the Innovation Economy</h1> <p>anagy — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 15:42:11 +0000</p> <span>Entrepreneurial Thinking in the Innovation Economy</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-03-16T11:42:11-04:00" title="Friday, March 16, 2018 - 11:42">Fri, 03/16/2018 - 11:42</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p dir="ltr">The environment of a small liberal arts campus was something new to �鶹��Ƶ parent Shannon Liston. During an orientation event for parents, she was introduced to LaunchU, �鶹��Ƶ’s annual venture incubator, and the program immediately hit home. A couple conversations later, Liston became an entrepreneur mentor for the 2017-18 LaunchU class.</p> <p dir="ltr">It was a natural fit for Liston, who is corporate legal counsel for Techstars, a venture capital and private equity firm with a worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed with three-month accelerator programs.</p> <p dir="ltr">Techstars opens applications for a period of two to three months and typically receives 10,000 applications for 10 spots. “We get to pick those 10 companies and surround them with intense mentorship and support. At the end of the program, companies get to pitch their product to investors,” Liston explains.</p> <p dir="ltr">The format is strikingly similar to LaunchU, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oberlin/albums/72157691432423462">�鶹��Ƶ’s startup accelerator, boot camp, and public pitch competition</a> held primarily over winter term. The program is open to current students, alumni, and college staff members.</p> <p dir="ltr">Four ventures were <a href="/news/launchu-awards-37k-startup-funding">awarded a combined $37,000 in startup funding</a> in this year’s final pitch competition.</p> <p dir="ltr">As a mentor, Liston conducted several Skype sessions with three of the competing ventures to provide coaching and feedback. She also gave a presentation to all of the participants sharing advice on creating your company, keeping it in good form, and approaching investors.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Techstars does a lot of events like this,” Liston says. “LaunchU is incredible and well organized. I’ve been really impressed with the format and structure.”</p> <p>The entrepreneur mentor program is a new addition to this year’s competition, and Director of Entrepreneurship Bara Watts says it made a considerable difference in the growth and development of the ventures. Twelve alumni and several �鶹��Ƶ parents volunteered to work virtually with one or more of the entrepreneurs during the bootcamp and throughout the pitching process.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Their specialized expertise is an added ingredient that has enriched and accelerated many of the ventures' development,” Watts says.</p> <p dir="ltr">Liston, who began her career as an accountant, says she volunteered to be a mentor because she feels like she can relate to graduates entering the workforce now.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was amazing to have been a student in the ’80s when there was job stability and very well defined career paths in corporate America,” she says. “After my kids were in school, I made the decision to go to law school. I was entering an incredibly tough job market, and I didn’t look like everyone else. I experienced what students are going through now.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Liston says she realized the need to be entrepreneurial. “You need to make connections and build a network, find and recruit mentors who can support you, and be open to something different.”</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Director of Entrepreneurship Bara Watts<br> Credit: Yevhen Gulenko</figcaption> </figure> <p>The goal of LaunchU, Watts says, is to engage all members of the �鶹��Ƶ community in creating a generation of entrepreneurs who build beneficial, ethical, and profitable enterprises. The program is relevant to all disciplines because students today are entering what she calls the innovation economy.</p> <p>“All organizations—for-profit and nonprofit, legacy and startup, public and private—are forced to innovate to remain relevant and successful,” Watts says. “Entrepreneurial thinking is a skill that enables individuals to see opportunity, employ innovation, and execute for the benefit of their organization—whether it be their own startup organization or one they are employed by. An entrepreneurial mindset can accelerate your career.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Professor of Politics Eve Sandberg, who launched her own <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eve-sandberg-31b0404/">political consulting</a> ventures, says LaunchU is a good training ground for developing the powers of persuasion.</p> <p>“Regardless of the field they are entering, graduates will have to persuade others of the merits of their ideas, whether they will be working in a team or for a boss,” Sandberg says. “During brainstorming sessions, they have to be willing to not see ideas as either ‘yours’ or ‘mine,’ but rather as many ideas and multiple components that make up single project. LaunchU forces its participants to learn those lessons.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Victor Yalom ’82, one of the alumni entrepreneur mentors, echoes that sentiment.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Many, if not most, businesses start inadvertently. I just wanted to produce a video so I could capture the work of one psychologist,” says Yalom, who started his career in clinical psychology and went on to discover a niche market for<a href="http://www.psychotherapy.net"> professional psychotherapy training videos</a>. His company has produced a library of more than 300 training videos featuring the leading practitioners in the field.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Business is a creative enterprise. But for creative people to be successful in life, one of the key skills they must have is getting other people to part with their time and money,” Yalom says. “Say you aren’t a software developer, but you have to get someone to help you write code. You have an idea, but you’re not a natural salesperson. You need persuasive powers or the vision to attract people to join forces with you.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Watts says this year’s participants were hungry to learn and refine their business models.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They took full advantage of the 19 speakers, 12 business coaches, and three presenting entrepreneurs. We had very strong contenders. It’s been very exciting.”</p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-03-21T12:00:00Z">Wed, 03/21/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>LaunchU doesn’t just accelerate business ventures—it also builds careers. </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2395">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3238">LaunchU</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A LaunchU participant at work in the Birenbaum Innovation and Performance space during winter term.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>LaunchU Awards $37K in Startup Funding</h1> <p>anagy — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:53:01 +0000</p> <span>LaunchU Awards $37K in Startup Funding</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-03-14T14:53:01-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - 14:53">Wed, 03/14/2018 - 14:53</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p dir="ltr">The annual LaunchU pitch competition awarded a combined $37,000 in startup funding to four business ventures. The creators of 10 ventures competed before a panel of judges and potential investors on March 10.</p> <p dir="ltr">In first place, the team of Tessa Emmer ’11, Catherine O’Hare ’11, and Avery Resor received $20,000 for their venture <a href="https://www.saltpointseaweed.com">Salt Point Seaweed</a>, a company that offers high-quality nutritional seaweed sustainably harvested by hand in northern California. The three are committed to using their business as a force for environmental protection, community development, and food system transformation.</p> <p dir="ltr">The second-place prize of $10,000 was awarded to <a href="https://virtu.academy">Virtu.Academy</a>, a platform for digital music education created by Bryan Rubin ’18, an environmental studies and politics major, and Benjamin Steger ’19, a double-degree student majoring in biochemistry and trumpet performance. Their business model aims to build a nationwide network of music educators who will provide affordable, convenient lessons to middle and high school students.</p> <p dir="ltr">Third-place winner Hassan Bin Fahim ’18, an economics and politics major, received $5,000 for uPage, a platform that provides simple and affordable website creation tools for Internet users in the developing world. uPage will introduce a localized website creation platform in Pakistan, where existing website creation tools are unable to fill the needs of Internet users who want to share their voice with the world.</p> <p>An honorable mention prize of $2,000 was awarded to Katie Kim ’21 for BOBALIN, a local venture specializing in boba (more commonly known as bubble tea), a fast-growing drink trend that originated in Taiwan.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pitch competition is the culmination of a venture incubator and intensive bootcamp held primarily over winter term. Participants experience one-on-one mentorship, pitch prep in support of their launch. Seventeen ventures competed in a preliminary pitch competition on February 24.</p> <p dir="ltr">During the bootcamp, held January 15-26, 31 participants worked on business model exploration, followed by programs in marketing, business law, sales strategies, finance and forecasting, fundraising, and team building for startups. Nineteen professionals presented materials on business formation, for-profit and nonprofit fundraising, social venture management, branding, business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing, intellectual property law, and financial forecasting.</p> <p dir="ltr">Director of Entrepreneurship Bara Watts says the competition had many strong contenders.</p> <p dir="ltr">“At LaunchU, participants work to make their own ideas a success. It’s real world, hands-on learning. During the bootcamp, everyone was all-in the entire time—and that is saying a lot because they were there for 12 hours a day for 12 days straight.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Watts says she is honored to work with seven passionate and active LaunchU board members.</p> <p dir="ltr">“LaunchU was founded and funded by a group of inspired alumni who felt strongly that this kind of high-impact, real-world learning was a critical ingredient to a well-rounded liberal arts education. The program is predominantly supported through donations made by the board and other alumni and parents who are passionate about entrepreneurship at �鶹��Ƶ. It is a wonderful example of how �鶹��Ƶ comes together across all groups within its community to promote growth and opportunity.”</p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-03-14T12:00:00Z">Wed, 03/14/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2395">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3238">LaunchU</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The winners of the LaunchU 2017-18 final pitch competition, from left: Catherine O'Hare '11 and Tessa Emmer '11, Salt Point Seaweed; Benjamin Steger '19 and Bryan Rubin '18, Virtu.Academy; Katie Kim '21, BOBALIN; and Hassan Bin Fahim, uPage.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Ace of Clubs</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 15:11:07 +0000</p> <span>Ace of Clubs</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-07-27T11:11:07-04:00" title="Thursday, July 27, 2017 - 11:11">Thu, 07/27/2017 - 11:11</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A circuitous route through �鶹��Ƶ led directly to a dream job for Gabe Pollack ’11. After initially majoring in <a href="/environmental-studies">environmental studies</a> in the College of Arts and Sciences, he added a conservatory major in <a href="/jazz-performance">jazz trumpet</a> during his sophomore year. By his fifth year, the <a href="/admissions-and-aid/double-degree-program">double-degree student</a> changed course in the conservatory, designing an <a href="/registrar/policies-procedures-forms/IM">individual major</a> in jazz entrepreneurship that was geared toward the music business and venue management.</p> <p>“For my final project, I wrote a business plan for a jazz club and applied for some grants,” he says. He earned funding through �鶹��Ƶ’s Creativity & Leadership program, which supports innovative entrepreneurial efforts by �鶹��Ƶ students. He spun that into a summer internship at the Cleveland jazz club Nighttown, whose marketing coordinator, Jim Wadsworth, he had met through a class at �鶹��Ƶ.</p> <p>“Jim was a guest lecturer,” Pollack recalls. “When I received the grant, I asked him if I could intern at Nighttown to get more experience. I moved to Cleveland and worked for him for a summer. When the grant ran out, he hired me. I worked there for three years as a booking agent during the day and doing sound production at night.”</p> <p>As Pollack was learning the industry on Cleveland’s East Side, another jazz club across town found itself at a crossroads. Built in 2002, the sleek and intimate <a href="http://www.themusicsettlement.org/event-rentals/">Bop Stop</a> had enjoyed a run of several years at its home overlooking Lake Erie, but was situated in a West Side neighborhood that had yet to catch up to the venue's cool vibe. When the Bop Stop went on the market, one of its suitors envisioned the place as a burger joint, Pollack recalls hearing.</p><p></p> <p>“The potential buyer said, ‘This is a great space, but what am I going to do with <em>that?’ </em>and pointed to the stage. After that, the owner kicked him out.”</p><p></p> <p>Instead, the building was donated to the Music Settlement, a community music school in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood that had developed a vision for the club's revival. When the Music Settlement began looking for Bop Stop leadership, Pollack updated his résumé—and dusted off his old business-plan project from �鶹��Ƶ.</p><p></p> <p>“I interviewed for the management job and submitted my final paper with my application,” he says. “And they hired me.”</p> <p>Under Pollack’s direction, the Bop Stop has thrived, with a steady schedule of local and touring jazz acts, including some 30 Grammy Award winners and counting. It was voted Best Jazz Club by <em>Cleveland Scene </em>in 2015 and 2016—and was even named Cleveland’s best date spot by the online matchmaker eHarmony, an honor Pollack calls “hilarious.”</p> <p>Not coincidentally, the Bop Stop's Hingetown neighborhood has witnessed a rebirth along with it, with the addition of an art gallery, shops, restaurants, and other businesses that have made it a lively and eclectic hub on the outskirts of downtown.</p> <p>The club also boasts a new recording studio donated by Cleveland radio personality Robert Conrad. “We can do high-end recordings here,” says Pollack, noting that the studio recently hosted a Blue Note session for Terence Blanchard. “It’s pretty cool to have Blue Note call you up and ask if one of their artists can record in your studio!”</p> <p>The Bop Stop also maintains close ties to �鶹��Ƶ, with student groups and faculty members regularly making the rounds onstage. “The space gives student musicians an opportunity to play in Cleveland,” says Pollack. “It can be hard when you’re relatively far from a major city like New York.”</p> <p>Pollack’s own �鶹��Ƶ years included several crucial steps toward where he is today. “Being part of the conservatory was challenging but worthwhile,” he says, recounting his own experiences making music. “It seemed like a lot of doors were closing, but when one door closes, another one opens. My experiences in the conservatory helped me figure out what I wanted to do after graduating.</p> <p>“You learn a lot from your courses, but the connections I made with people as a student were important too,” he says. “There are lots of �鶹��Ƶ graduates that are touring musicians, and it’s fun to book them at the Bop Stop. It’s important to take advantage of opportunities outside the classroom, too.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-07-27T12:00:00Z">Thu, 07/27/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Samantha Spaccasi ’17</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>How Gabe Pollack ’11 turned an individual major into a career in jazz management.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2395">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2974">Conservatory Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25271">Individual Major</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A former double-degree student at �鶹��Ƶ, Gabe Pollack ’11 completed a final project that foreshadowed his career in jazz club management.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Julie Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>When in Rome...Make Music</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 14:08:51 +0000</p> <span>When in Rome...Make Music</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-03-21T10:08:51-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 21, 2018 - 10:08">Wed, 03/21/2018 - 10:08</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Violinist Dana Johnson ’17, double-degree violist Corey Worley ’18, and cellist Aaron Wolff ’17 became Trio Ligatura out of a shared excitement about new music and a reconception of what it means to be a young classical musician in the 21st century. Formed in 2015 at �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory, the trio expressed its passion through performances of 20th- and 21st-century compositions while frequently collaborating with living composers and artists.</p> <p>During their time here, they appeared on the Danenberg Honors Recital; represented �鶹��Ƶ on the Kennedy Center’s Conservatory Project series in Washington, D.C.; and performed on WOBC-FM 91.5's "<a href="https://wobclfsb.bandcamp.com/album/wobc-lfsb-220-trio-ligatura">Live from Studio B</a>” and on Cleveland’s classical station WCLV-FM 104.9. They also worked in master classes with resident and guest artists at �鶹��Ƶ—the Calder Quartet, Dimitri Murrath, and the Mivos String Quartet.</p> <p>The trio's members each learned and exercised their entrepreneurial chops, mining �鶹��Ƶ’s numerous student funding sources and using online crowd-funding platforms. They designed their own concert tours, giving performances in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Chicago, and at the SoundSCAPE Festival in Maccagno, Italy.</p> <p>Much of their 2015-16 academic year was focused on Andrew Norman’s <em>The Companion Guide to Rome</em>, a 30-minute series of musical portraits of nine Roman churches. Following two high-profile performances of the piece on the honors recital and at the Kennedy Center, the trio decided to deepen its relationship with the work through a trip to Rome. They wanted to capture the experience of being in each of the churches in an attempt to bring to life the artistic and interpretive processes of creating something inspired by previous works of art. Their Rome venture was supported by an XARTS grant, a competitive, adjudicated granting program administered through �鶹��Ƶ’s Creativity and Leadership Project.</p> <p>With funding in place, they headed to Rome. There, they spent significant time in the churches featured in Norman’s work: gathering video footage, creating short audio recordings in the spaces, and writing about their experiences, all for use in the creation of a multimedia installation. (Read the Q&A below to learn more about their tour experience.)</p> <p>“One thing we learned through the entire process of this trip was to always <em>ask</em>—ask for help, ask for contacts, ask to see something extra, ask about the history," the trio wrote. "We learned and experienced so much, we connected with people at these churches, and we certainly developed as a team. And from that, we definitely feel more connected to the piece now that we have visited and experienced its inspiration for ourselves. The gestures feel more real, there’s less guesswork, we have a unified and solid vision of what these movements are referencing. But we also each have our own take and our own experiences to bring to the table, which will hopefully make for a more genuine and personalized performance.”</p> <p>The resulting installation, <em>Beyond the Black Dots: Expanding the Interpretive Process</em>, debuted on Commencement/Reunion Weekend in May 2017. �鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="http://www2.oberlin.edu/con/connews/2017/book/index.html?page=16">Birenbaum Innovation and Performance Space</a> offered the ideal environment to showcase the daylong work. The trio had created a looped 30-minute audio/video presentation interspersed with two full live performances of Norman's trio. They enjoyed consistently full audiences of alumni, parents, and about-to-be grads. The experience proved a fitting culmination of the trio’s undergraduate work—both Johnson and Wolff marched across the commencement stage later that weekend.</p> <h4>Trio Ligatura Tour Q&A</h4> <p></p> <p><strong>When you all decided to keep exploring Andrew Norman’s piece, what became your final objective for the project?</strong></p> <p>We decided to dive deeper into Norman’s piece and came up with the idea to do a multimedia installation here in �鶹��Ƶ with the intent to capture the experience of being in the churches and bring to life the artistic and interpretive processes of creating something inspired by previous works of art. So while in Rome, we visited each of the churches featured in Norman’s work to gather video footage and audio recordings, as well as some written responses, to be used in our installation. This semester we will be putting together what we collected in Italy, and the installation will be coming soon!</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Worley and Wolff walking through St. Sabina.</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>What was your favorite place featured in Andrew Norman’s cycle that you consequently visited on your trip?</strong><br> <br> We really enjoyed visiting the church of St. Sabina. The movement featuring this church is the ninth and final of the piece. It is also the longest and, in a way, functions as the culmination of the entire work. It is incredibly moving and depicts a sunrise streaming in through the large translucent stone windows of this church. This movement in particular is really special to all of us, so visiting the church and seeing the light coming in through the windows—an experience we had imagined and portrayed through the music countless times—was really memorable for us. </p> <p><strong>Did you have a particular process for exploring each destination?</strong><br> <br> We generally would get our gear set up outside the church so that we could get video footage and audio samples of every aspect of our experiences in the space. And we did have some technical difficulties at times, but we eventually got the hang of an efficient way to work with the equipment. We found that going through this detailed documentation process in each church allowed us to see the spaces in a more comprehensive way—it was very mindful work and somewhat refreshing to be able to spend the time to get really in-depth looks at each building. Most of the churches were not super touristy, so it wasn’t too difficult to get around inside. The busiest one we encountered was visiting the church with Bernini’s "Ecstasy of St. Teresa" (inspiration for the first movement). That was a very small church and probably the most well-known of the ones we visited. There were a few we weren’t able to get inside of due to restorations, but each church had a very different environment. Our priority, though, with our process, wherever we went, was to be respectful and unobtrusive while still getting the samples we needed for our project.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Inside St. Cecilia</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>After seeing all these places in real life, is there one that is described in Norman’s piece particularly well in your opinion?</strong><br> <br> We thought that the first movement, Teresa, was described quite accurately. The loudness of the decoration in such a small architectural space was reflected in our simultaneous three-person crazed cadenza that lasts less than a minute. Additionally, Clemente was a very interesting space in which the new (current), spacious church was built upon the old, which is still accessible but an eerie shadow of the past, essentially unusable and crumbling away. In the movement Clemente, the violin and viola share an ethereal duet that really captures the essence of this crumbling piece of history.</p> <p><strong>Has this trip changed your perspective on traveling/discovering new places? And how has this trip changed each of your perspectives on the piece and your approach to the piece as an ensemble?</strong><br> <br> In terms of traveling and discovering new places, one thing we learned through the entire process of this trip was to always ask—ask for help, ask for contacts, ask to see something extra, ask about the history. We learned and experienced so much, we connected with people at these churches, and we certainly developed as a team. And from that, we definitely feel more connected to the piece now that we have visited and experienced its inspiration for ourselves. The gestures feel more real, there’s less guesswork, we have a unified and solid vision of what these movements are referencing. But we also each have our own take and our own experiences to bring to the table which will hopefully make for a more genuine and personalized performance.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-06-01T12:00:00Z">Thu, 06/01/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Cathy Partlow Strauss '84</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A student-formed ensemble enjoys high-profile gigs and a quest for deeper understanding.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2376">Study Away</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36206">Viola</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Margot Schulman</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Voice for Women Migrant Workers</h1> <p>anagy — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:02:52 +0000</p> <span>A Voice for Women Migrant Workers</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:02:52-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:02">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:02</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>First-year student Dai Li has received a $10,000 grant from the <a href="http://www.davisprojectsforpeace.org/">Davis Projects for Peace</a> program for a project that aims to empower Chinese women factory workers. </p> <p>Projects for Peace, founded by international philanthropist Kathryn W. Davis, is an initiative that encourages students to design grassroots projects that promote peace and address the root causes of conflict. Applicants from 90 partner colleges and universities are selected through a competitive process and funded at $10,000 each. The overall program is intended to be worldwide in scope and impact, but specific projects may be undertaken anywhere, including in the United States.</p> <p>Li, an international student from Shaoshan, China, has been involved with workers’ rights since she was 15, when she began volunteering for a non-governmental organization (NGO) alongside her mother. Labor unrest and workers’ rights present a dilemma for China’s government as the economy modernizes. Her mother is a labor-interest scholar outside of her day job, which makes her a target for government watch groups. Coincidentally, her family lives in the birthplace of Mao Tse-tung—“We’re known for our revolutionary spirit,” she says.</p> <p>The Chinese Pearl River Delta Zone has witnessed the greatest migration in human history, more than 130 million workers over the last three decades. Young migrants moved from villages to urban-industrial China to seek a better livelihood, assuming a crucial role in China’s economic boom and transforming their lives. Tens of millions of workers left their homes, separating from their families, to find work in the factories of China's booming coastal cities such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Dongguan. </p> <p>Most of Li’s work up to this point has been focused on the working conditions of male-dominated mining operations. With this grant, she is turning her attention to women migrant workers. Although the condition of migrant workers has captured the attention from Chinese public and labor NGOs, the suffering of young women remains largely unexplored. </p> <p>She points to the prosperous city of Zhenzhen, where more than 80 percent of the population is composed of migrant workers; the overwhelming majority are women who occupy most of the positions in textile, consumer electronics production, and cleaning industries. </p> <p>Women, Li explains, are particularly susceptible to domestic violence, lower pay, sexual harassment, higher unemployment rates, and sexism-tinged workplace discrimination. Women also assume the additional responsibility of serving as family caretakers. All these factors make China’s women more socio-economically vulnerable than men. </p> <p>In summer 2014, Li worked with a Guangzhou-based organization, Sunflower, which helps women workers defend their rights. Her research, <a href="http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20130824/cc24patients/zh-hant/">published</a> in the Chinese-language New York Times, found there is a higher level of mobility among female workers, as they are more likely to be treated unfairly and forced to leave their work without getting paid properly. “When laid off work abruptly, they suffer acute mental illness and suicides,” she states in her project proposal. “Many young factory girls in their early 20s are poorly educated and start working by joining assembly lines as teenagers. In electronic factories, female workers have to stare into microscopes for more than 12 hours a day, without a day off.”</p> <p>Li hopes to tackle these problems through technology—specifically, smartphone literacy—that will help women communicate with and educate each other about workers’ rights. She is developing a downloadable app that will increase cell phone literacy for this purpose. The app is targeted to the underprivileged, disadvantaged Chinese female worker, the majority of whom use inexpensive Android smartphones.</p> <p>Li’s research last summer found that, despite the prevalence of smartphones, men are more likely to use social network and chatting apps. “I believe that in order for women to gain greater control of their lives, reduce their dependency on their husbands, families, and unstable economic situations, they should acquire more advanced communications skills with each other,” Li says. </p> <p>Earlier this year, she received a $500 ignition fund from �鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/office/creativity/">Creativity & Leadership</a> project to begin the planning and design for the app. She also started a website with published articles written by worker activists from Chinese labor NGOs to help workers get socially and politically engaged to defend their rights when they are treated unfairly.<br></p> <p>Li says the Android app will be small, simple, and easy to use. In addition to hosting a library of labor articles, workers can use the app to receive accurate and timely legal information about the progress of legal cases and strike updates. It will also include a chat room and communication platform to post messages about labor issues and strikes. This summer, Li will recruit volunteers and organize three workshops outside the factory gates to train women workers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen to use the app.</p> <p>Li says she gets her drive from her training as an athlete. Before she came to �鶹��Ƶ, she had to make a choice between continuing her education and training for China’s national gymnastics team. She was also active in competitive cheerleading and tumbling. </p> <p>“I’ve been an athlete since I was 6. For me, it inspired feminist thinking, because I was doing the same work as the boys. We ran together and trained together.”</p> <p>At �鶹��Ƶ, Li intends to major in English. During winter term, she collaborated with Marc Blecher, professor of politics and East Asian studies, and Professor Ralph Lutzinger of Duke University for research on globalization and work hazards. </p> <p>In the future, she says she’d like to explore arts as a tool for Chinese migrant workers to find community. “A strike is a short-term solution. Workers get their pay, then it’s over. I think arts and culture can be more effective means for solving problems.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-05-23T12:00:00Z">Sat, 05/23/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25336">East Asian Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/east-asian-studies" hreflang="und">East Asian Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Women assemble lighters at a factory in Xuyi, China. In the booming coastal cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Dongguan, women occupy most of the positions in textile, consumer electronics production, and cleaning industries. <br> <br> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Getty Images</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Orange is the New Learning Tool</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:03:39 +0000</p> <span>Orange is the New Learning Tool</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:03:39-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:03">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:03</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Growing up in South Asia, rising fourth-year students Prakash Paudel, Saksham Khosla, and Venkata Shiva Mandala witnessed the conditions that often lead to the inability of fifth-graders in rural India to read or do basic math. “My [classmates] and I have seen firsthand the plethora of issues plaguing education in the region,” said Paudel, a native of Pokhara, Nepal. Khosla and Mandala both grew up in New Delhi, India. Limited access to highly trained teachers, electricity, and the Internet has perpetuated the issue, despite many organizations’ best efforts. This summer, Paudel, Khosla, and Mandala, along with partners rising fourth-year Henry Harboe, and rising third-year Thomas Kreek, decided to take matters into their own hands through their organization <a href="/innovation-and-impact/projects/lumened">LumenEd</a>.</p> <p>The idea for LumenEd was conceived in spring 2013, when the founders first discussed the possibility of boosting education efforts in developing countries using technology. They wanted to prove that technology-based learning tools could provide children in rural or underdeveloped areas with a quality education and empower the educators in those regions to enhance their teaching abilities. This year, the group received major funding for their initiative from Davis Projects for Peace. The philanthropic organization awarded LumenEd a $10,000 grant for its efforts to spread peace and empower the next generation with education. Additionally, they received $1,500 when they took first place in the IdeaLab portion of the LaunchU Pitch Competition in February, and additional support from the Bonner Center for Service and Learning.</p> <p>Once they decided on a direction, they wasted little time shaping their idea into what would become LumenEd. They began designing a device with speakers and a projector that could display audiovisual educational content to an entire classroom. With a $600 Creativity and Leadership grant from �鶹��Ƶ College, LumenEd first tested a prototype last summer in an after-school program for underprivileged children at the Sanskriti School, New Delhi. The trial run went well. The partners discovered that their prototype’s display abilities and educational content effectively engaged the classroom, proving its value as a learning tool. Riding on the success of their summer pilot, the founders were joined by Kreek and Harboe.</p> <p>LumenEd is currently bringing a newly designed device, dubbed the bright orange box, to nine schools across New Delhi and the surrounding regions. Unlike education programs that rely on expensive classroom materials and highly trained teachers, or initiatives that provide equipment that does not work in underdeveloped areas without electricity or network infrastructure, LumenEd circumvents the challenges posed by entering rural or remote areas with technology-based education programs.</p> <p>The bright orange box is portable and small, but it packs a punch, supporting a range of uses. It consists of a personal computer the size of a credit card, a projector, and speakers for displaying audiovisual content to an entire classroom. A built-in camera and microphone will allow the class to record videos to send to pen pal classrooms across the world. The device comes with a solar battery kit, which eliminates the need for electricity. It runs software that is intuitive to use and comes with open-source educational content on a flash drive that can be traded by mail for different curriculums, ending the need for updates via the internet.</p> <p>LumenEd has partnered with <a href="http://www.teachforindia.org/">Teach for India</a> and <a href="http://new.ashanet.org/">Asha for Education</a>, two leading education NGOs in the region. The organizations have connected LumenEd with their network, teachers, and schools, and LumenEd brings its equipment and materials. “The organizations have been very cooperative, helping us out a lot, and the teachers are very friendly and willing to help our project. It’s been a great experience so far, and we've learned a lot,” Mandala said.</p> <p>Not only does this partnership bring customized educational content to students in rural schools, it provides support and resources to teachers, opening a line of communication between educators around the world. LumenEd’s founders won’t just address the problems of children in nine schools; they aim to improve India’s education system as a whole.</p> <p>LumenEd recognizes that substandard primary education isn’t limited to India, and it doesn’t plan to stop there. “The number of children lacking access to quality education worldwide is rather stunning, and in a world increasingly driven by knowledge, nationwide education is an important step forward for many countries,” Mandala said. Based on the feedback it receives, the organization wants to grow as much as possible, planning to place bright orange boxes in Ghanaian schools by January 2015, expand to South American schools next summer, and link these schools with pen pals in the United States.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2014-07-21T12:00:00Z">Mon, 07/21/2014 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Rosalind Black</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2395">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3238">LaunchU</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The LumenEd team is visiting classrooms in New Delhi to demonstrate its new device, pictured here: team member and rising junior Thomas Kreek. </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">LumenEd</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Lucid Visual</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:03:59 +0000</p> <span>Lucid Visual</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:03:59-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:03">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:03</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A decade ago, they were just three undergraduates trying to make energy information more readable. Now, they run a business whose clients include Google, Sony, and the city governments of Philadelphia and Washington, DC.</p> <p>This summer marks the tenth anniversary of <a href="https://www.lucid-design.com/">Lucid Design</a>, a data visualization firm started at �鶹��Ƶ by alums Vladi Shunturov ’05, Gavin Platt ’06, and Michael Murray ’03 and John Petersen ’88. Lucid creates systems that allow building occupants to track their resource usage in real time, through 160 different metrics, like water consumption and electricity use. Their 10-year anniversary coincides with another major achievement, raising $8.2 million for expansion from venture capital firm Foundation 8, to further develop BuildingOS, their building monitoring program.</p> <p>Shunturov, Platt, and Murray first began working together as student assistants in �鶹��Ƶ’s environmental studies program under the direction of Professor of Environmental Studies John Petersen, who is currently on the Board of Directors at Lucid, at the <a href="https://palmer.buildingos.com/reports/dashboards/9cb16078634111e7985c525400e84168" target="_blank">Adam Joseph Lewis Center</a>. The building was wired to provide data about resource consumptions, but lacked a way to display that information neatly and in real time. Petersen brought in students to help him do this, Shunturov explains. "He wanted to see if this concept of feedback—being able to see your energy use in real time," he says. "If it would be able to improve people's behavior in a way that conserves energy and water."</p> <p>The team tested Petersen's hypothesis by setting up monitoring systems in two residence halls, Harkness and Fairchild. When they compared the usage in these halls to that in the others, which were simply given meter readings once a week for a three week interval, the results were clear: feedback works. The student residents of Harkness and Fairchild reduced their usage 56% and 55%, respectively, compared to 22%, the highest reduction from the other dorms.</p> <p>Petersen and the students published the results and received a great deal of publicity. The monitoring system was part of the first wave of "the internet of things," the present trend of enabling objects with the ability to transmit information back to a central source. "The technology existed, but no one had really focused on making it accessible," says Shunturov. "There's nothing special about what we did at �鶹��Ƶ, other than we made it look pretty."</p> <p>But others took note. Not only did the team broaden the monitoring system across campus, but they began setting up similar systems at Harvard and Emory. Initially, every system that they installed was custom made but, three years after graduation, the trio had the idea to turn what they made into a product, which would make it more affordable and, thus, accessible, as had been the initial goal of their work with Petersen.</p> <p>Now, Lucid technologies can be found in some 6,000 buildings. Shunturov attributes this to an increase in the construction of green buildings—LEED certification, the system used by the <a href="http://www.usgbc.org/">U.S. Green Buildings Council</a> to evaluate buildings' environmental impact—hadn't been invented when Lucid started—and years of persistence. "It took us 10 years to get here, and the first five were five really tough years," he says. "But when you really believe in the work you're doing, persistence pays off."</p> <p>That quality is exactly what he recommends to the aspiring entrepreneurs at �鶹��Ƶ. Shunturov and the Lucid team had the chance to meet with some of these young entrepreneurs as part of the <a href="/innovation-and-impact/launchu">LaunchU</a> experience, a program during winter term that provides �鶹��Ƶ students and alumni with the opportunity to develop and receive funding for their entrepreneurial endeavors. "I'm extremely excited by the fact that a really committed group of individuals has come together to make LaunchU possible," says Shunturov. "That's an invaluable resource."</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2014-07-01T12:00:00Z">Tue, 07/01/2014 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">James Helmsworth</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2395">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3238">LaunchU</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25351">Environmental Studies and Sciences</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Platt, Shunturov, and Murray.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> </article> </main></body></html>