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the Wond'ry E-Newsletter [Vanderbilt University]

November 2019

Featured Upcoming Events:

Global Game Jam 2020

Global Game Jam

Each year, the Global Game Jam organization gives a keynote and issues a theme for hundreds of locations across the globe to take part in. Participants form teams and work together to create their own games inspired by the theme. At the end, participants gather to present their games onstage. Friendships are forged, collaborations are fostered, and games are made!

January 31-February 2, at the Wond’ry.

 

Vanderbilt Green-a-thon

The Vanderbilt Green Fund is a $150,000 fund that Vanderbilt sets aside every year to support students’ ideas to make campus greener. This year, applications for the Green Fund can be submitted via a special one-hour event: The Vanderbilt Green-a-thon!  In the spirit of VandyHacks Hackathon, student groups with 1-3 members will have approximately one hour to come up with an idea to make campus greener. The winning proposal will be automatically sent to the final stage of the Green Fund acceptance process.

January 24 at 2:00pm, at the Wond’ry.

 

Vanderbilt Entrepreneurship Conference

A day of learning, networking, and entrepreneurship will be hosted by the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management’s Center For Entrepreneurship (C4E) in January.  The event will include keynote speakers and seminars, TED-style talks from entrepreneurs, and a pitch competition for student startups.

After the conference, the Wond’ry will host an after-party networking event, including a fireside chat with New-York-based, award-winning fashion designer and entrepreneur, Timo Weiland.

January 10 at 8:00am, at the Vanderbilt Student Life Center.

After-party begins at 2:15pm at the Wond’ry.


A New Wond’ry Program: The Social Venture Think Tank

The Social Venture Think Tank (SVTT) is a new experiential learning program in the Wond’ry’s Social Innovations practice area. Each semester, interdisciplinary teams of students will be paired with a local organization, public office, or business working to address a social, economic, or environmental issue in the Nashville community. Student teams consult with their community partner to design and implement a project that advances the organization’s capabilities in their impact area.  The Fall 2019 semester saw the first SVTT cohort working with local organizations Poverty and the Arts, the OASIS Center, and the Nashville Material Reuse Center.

Applications for the Spring 2020 cohort are currently being accepted.


Map the System Competition Begins Spring 2020

In Spring 2020, the Wond’ry will launch a Map the System Competition in affiliation with the University of Oxford. This program, part of the Wond’ry’s Social Innovations practice area, will challenge students to think differently about how social and environmental change happens. The program will train participating students to use a systems thinking approach to understand and identify solutions for complex problems. Participating students will compete in a case competition in mid-April 2020, presenting the findings of their systems research to a distinguished panel of judges. The winning team of the Wond’ry’s competition will win a trip to the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom to compete in the Global Finals in June 2020. Registration for this competition is now open to all Vanderbilt students until February 5, 2020. To learn more about the opportunity and apply, visit the Wond’ry website.


New Makerspaces: Art Lab & Textile Lab

The Wond’ry added two new Makerspaces this semester!  ArtLab Vanderbilt, a program which provides resources to create art exploring the intersection of art science, now has a physical home in the Wond’ry’s Art Lab!  Currently available resources include a Microsoft Surface drawing tablet and a large format Epson printer.  The space will also serve as a home base for ArtLab Fellows to create works of art which will be displayed at an exhibition event at the Wond’ry in Spring 2020.

The second new makerspace is the Textile Lab, a home for wearable innovations and fashion sustainability.  Established in cooperation with the Vanderbilt Theatre Department Costume Shop, the Textile Lab includes materials and supplies for both hand and machine sewing, with a serger being added soon!

The Textile Lab will also be used in conjunction with a new university course offered in Spring 2020, The Craft of Computation (CSET 2430), an exploration of the origins of computer science as it was practiced in the art of weaving and programmable looms.  As part of the coursework, students will build their own loom and learn to weave fabric.  The course will be taught by Professor Laurel Waycott of the Department of Communication of Science and Technology.


In the News:


Our Programs:

Innovation Garage

In the Innovation Garage, an array of corporate sponsors partner with Vanderbilt student and faculty teams on cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary projects. The goal of this program is to identify disruptive and innovative solutions that improve industry all while providing unique opportunities for students to build their skills via real-world problem solving.

PreLaunch and PostLaunch

For aspiring Vanderbilt entrepreneurs, the Wond’ry offers a PreLaunch program that provides the foundational knowledge needed to successfully assess an idea, as well as a PostLaunch program aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs that are ready to learn the steps needed to launch a venture. These 7-week programs are now a part of Vanderbilt’s I-Corps Site program for STEM entrepreneurs that provides micro-grant funding from the NSF and access to the National I-Corps program.

Social Venture Think Tank

The Social Venture Think Tank (SVTT) is an experiential learning program in the Wond’ry’s Social Innovations practice area. Each semester, interdisciplinary teams of students are paired with a local organization, public office, or business working to address a social, economic, or environmental issue in the Nashville community. Student teams consult with their community partner to design and implement a project that advances the organization’s capabilities in their impact area.

Fostering an Innovation Culture

From artist/music exhibits and speaker series to hackathons and business plan competitions, the Wond’ry hosts workshops, speakers, and events that cater to an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.


Past Versions of News from the Wond’ry:

To view past versions of News from the Wond’ry, please visit our website:
https://www.vanderbilt.edu/thewondry/newsletter/

Upcoming Events

Makerspace Safety Seminar
A one-hour course required before accessing Wond’ry Makerspaces.  No reservation required.

Every Monday through Thursday, 7-8pm
the Wond’ry, 2nd Floor

 

VR Demo Day
Come experience the student projects created in Vanderbilt’s Fall 2019 VR class!

December 11, 3-5pm
the Wond’ry, 2nd Floor Lounge

 

C4E Entrepreneurship Conference
A full day of entrepreneurship, learning, and networking, hosted by Owen Graduate School of Management C4E.  Registration required.

January 10, 8am-2pm
VU Student Life Center

After-party: January 10, 2:15-4pm
The Wond’ry

 

Vanderbilt Green-a-thon
You have one hour to make the Vandy campus a greener place in this competition by the Vanderbilt Green Fund.

January 24, 2-4pm
the Wond’ry

 

Global Game Jam 2020
Video games, board games, card games… make a whole game in a single weekend!  Registration required.

January 31-February 2
the Wond’ry


Opportunities

Apply for the Social Ventures Think Tank

The Wond’ry is accepting applications for the Spring 2020 Cohort of the Social Ventures Think Tank. This student group will work with a leading non-profit or government organization in Nashville to design solutions that improve processes and revenue.

Take CSET 2430, The Craft of Computation

Explore the history of technology through hands-on experimentation. Before there were programmable computers, there were programmable looms. This course explores historical developments that blurred the line between craft and technology, and their impacts on notions of labor, gender, and expertise. The course pairs seminar activities with a craft “lab” held in the Wond’ry, where students build and program their own loom.  Fulfills AXLE Perspectives requirement.

Startup and Emerging Technologies Internship Fair

The Nashville Entrepreneurship Center is inviting college students from across Nashville to check out opportunities with startups and growing tech companies at the NEC’s first Internship Fair. The large majority of roles will be for Summer 2020. What makes this fair unique is that you will most likely be speaking directly with the decision maker or your potential manager.  25 companies will be in attendance and hiring for multiple roles!  Even if you are unable to attend, register for a ticket on Eventbrite to be added to a networking email among participating companies, which will be sent out at the conclusion!


Meet Our Mentors

Have a question about intellectual property, commercialization, a business or product idea, professional leadership, etc.? Connect with our network of local Nashville entrepreneurs and business experts, as well as professionals from other departments around campus during their open office hours on the 3rd floor.


CTTC Office Hours

The Vanderbilt Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization will have office hours at the Wond’ry on Wednesdays from 1:00-2:30 PM.  Members of the Vanderbilt community are welcome to ask questions and receive advice regarding intellectual property rights and licensing, market applications of research and inventions, and launching entrepreneurial ventures.


Stay Connected

For the most up-to-date information, event reminders, and opportunities connect with us on social media.

theWondry.com

Twitter: theWondry
Instagram: thewondry
Facebook: theWONDRY

 

Located at:
2414 Highland Avenue
Suite 102
Nashville, TN 37212
615-343-1501

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For additional information on the Wond’ry, including office hours, please visit thewondry.com.

      

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