Melisa Castro, a Guttman Liberal Arts and Sciences major, has been selected for the 2017 Innovate NYC program. This landmark initiative, run by the DO School and supported by the Newman’s Own Foundation, is a collaboration among 11 New York City area universities. The program empowers students with skills for the 21st century economy through a learning-by-doing approach to solve real-world problems.
Now in its second year, Innovate NYC utilizes a proven approach originally developed by the DO School for Oxford University and leading organization such as Siemens, Daimler, and the United Nations. Within the program, students will develop entrepreneurial methods, work with diverse groups of world-class practitioners, and create real change.
This year’s Challenge centers on innovation in community mobility. More specifically, the goal is to create a community-centered, ride-sharing solution that encompasses the entire city while remaining economically viable. The challenger, Brooklyn Navy Yard, aims to boost New York City’s economic vitality by creating and preserving quality jobs, growing the City’s modern industrial sector and its businesses, and connecting the local community with the Yard’s economic opportunity and resources. To do so, they are doubling the number of jobs within the Yard by 2020 from its current level of 7,000. However, how can the Yard do this without adding a single new car to its parking lots, as parking is already at maximum capacity?
This June, the Innovate NYC students will work with renowned experts and top social change makers to develop and implement a hands-on solution to this transportation problem for the Yard. Innovate NYC will provide the Yard with a critical way to solve a core operating challenge.
Commenting on this method of experiential education, Martha Kanter, former Under Secretary of Education of the United States and current Distinguished Professor of Higher Education at New York University, remarked that “innovation and collaboration are critical skills to advance any nation’s prosperity and competitiveness in the 21st century. The DO School is the energizing force behind a new and vital cross-sector collaboration to solve complex challenges and empower students in their future endeavors.”
2017 Innovate NYC university students include: Aude Sorelle Tchie (Borough of Manhattan Community College), Toby Childs, Jo Christine Miles, Tammy Lin (Columbia University), Hua Joe Fung (The Cooper Union), Carlos Panjon, Lin Wang, Nicole Angelique Porco, Shravan Wadhwa (Fordham University), Melisa Castro (Guttman Community College), Jasmine Wong (Macaulay Honors College), Akshati Mehrish (The New School), Josy Jablons (New York University) & Aamir Ansari, Isidora Beatriz Concha, Jonathan Marable, Maryam Turkey, and Vania Andrea Arevalo (Pratt Institute).
The 18 2017 Innovate NYC students represent the following institutions: Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY, Brooklyn Law School, Columbia University, The Cooper Union, Fordham University, Guttman Community College/CUNY, Macaulay Honors College/CUNY, Medgar Evers College/CUNY, The New School, New York University, and Pratt Institute.
