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ICE CENTER
Sophomore students brainstorm new products and services for a visually impaired market while wearing masks that simulate different levels of visual impairment during an interactive ICE CaPS session. Michael Greco ’12 VSB (right) and his teammates discuss the functionality and design of a new mobile application.
Failure Is an Innovative Option
be the art critic than the artist. We need to be more focused on creating the artist.
”
Creativity, and Entrepreneurship (ICE
Just two months into her
cultivate these skills at the start of their
college career, Megan Earl ’15 VSB
college education and to help students
learned she would have to develop
discover that they are capable of innova-
an idea for an innovative new product.
tion and problem solving. As part of the
“I was worried,” she says. “I did not
assignment, the student teams develop
consider myself as a very creative
a new product or service, write an
person.” Soon enough, however, Earl
executive summary, and deliver an
and her team created iVote, a mobile
in-class pitch. The winning team from
application designed to drive more
each section of Business Dynamics
young people to vote by providing
continues on to compete against one
timely political information on issues
another in a larger Villanova event
and candidates in concise bullet points.
called IdeaBounce®.
“I realized that people claim they don’t
Before they decided to create
participate in voting because they
iVote, Earl and her team spent hours
don’t know the details of the elections,”
brainstorming ideas, which is an impor-
said Earl. “The challenge to think of a
tant objective of the challenge. “The
new product motivated me to address
ICE Challenge was an extraordinary
this problem.”
experience that allowed me to use my
iVote is just one of many ideas that
villanova business | summer 2012
Center) designed the ICE Challenge to
creativity in a new, business-oriented
VSB freshmen have developed as part of
way,” said Earl. “It showed me that I can
the ICE Challenge, a project embedded
take several simple concepts that are
within the first-year Business Dynamics
seemingly unrelated and turn them into
course. Hoping to ignite and nurture the
an idea that can bring change to a tradi-
entrepreneurial spirit among students
tional system. I now have the confidence
and motivate them to use creativity
to know that my thoughts and ideas can
to succeed, the Center for Innovation,
make a difference in today’s society.”
PHOTO: PAUL CRANE
“ It is far easier to
The Challenge Begins
