NEXT.cc Bringing STEAM Design to Entrepreneurs

NEXT.cc was invited to the Lubar Innovators Expo where entrepreneurs, makers, academics, students and community shakers discuss and showcase their wares, resources, and future thinking designs. Our curriculum director, Linda Keane FAIA, showcased our NEXT.cc learning journeys that are accessible to all makers alike. And our NEXT.cc President, Mark Keane, joined in the architecture initiatives.

Open to faculty and students at five area universities, The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Great Lakes Region I-Corps™ Program hosts the Lubar Innovators Expo linking new venture and business mentors with academics to investigate the pathways for commercializing research ideas. That power is given back to the individual on how much of an impact we actually can have! Now imagine, if this accessibility was shared throughout our educational systems.

Prof. Linda and Prof. Mark Keane participated in the recent Spring NSF I-Corps Cohort as part of the Great Lakes Region Hub. Their goal was to research a hypothesis. Major design corporations are struggling with three key areas:  Environment and Sustainability Governance, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, and K-12 Design education. The Lubar Entrepreneurship Center included a great interview on the process here.

Whether it is the journey on architecture, ecodesign, sustainable materials, people focused urban planning, or the food/water/energy nexus - NEXT.cc has made accessible the tools and research necessary to include STEAM design thinking in innovations. We know that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are hot button issues that corporations, businesses, and major design corporations are struggling with. So NEXT.cc invites organizations to engage in conversation and learning journeys that NEXT.cc has to offer and to partner with them to diversify STEM Literate Populations at an early age, with STEAM information and critical thinking processes early on.

What journey will you take through NEXT.cc? Not sure where to begin? Start by checking out our Unpacking our NEXT.cc blog post and let us know how your organization implements a NEXT.cc journey!