University of Alberta students and instructors are pictured with their Icelandic hosts in the rift valley at Thingvellir National Park, Iceland situated between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
Seven undergraduate students at the University of Alberta have recently returned from the trip-of-a-lifetime.
For three weeks, the Canadian students joined their Icelandic counterparts at Reykjavik University for a crash course on innovation and entrepreneurship. In that short period, students were tasked with developing a unique product--from design to entering the market place. The projects ranged from Icelandic chocolates in historical keepsake containers tins to a digital betting platform, where people can wager virtual currency.
Among them were three Faculty of Science students, Danielle Jenson, Catherine Metke, and Veronica Salm.
Inventive ideas
"How does a science student think up innovative ideas if they've never been asked to think creatively before?" -Danielle Jenson
Salm's group developed a virtual sociogram. This tool is a graphical matrix that displays positive and negative connections between group members.
"In the past, sociograms were created by hand or on a computer in a cumbersome and time-consuming process," explained Salm. "Our product was a website designed to create an interactive, easy-to-use sociogram for teachers." The technology allows teachers to build digital models and better understand social relationships in their classes.
Like Salm's sociogram, other group projects were complex and ambitious. Catherine Metke explains that the time limitations and diverse backgrounds were what made the course so unique.
"We went from concept to fledgling company in just three weeks," said Metke, student in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. "The course puts people from different faculties together, so you get to work with people you might otherwise never encounter."
Exploring entrepreneurship
These intrinsically interdisciplinary perspectives, explains Mario Nascimento, chair of the Department of Computing Science, are a fundamental part of what makes the experience so valuable.
"A course like the one at Reykjavik University allows our students to explore interdisciplinarity and see its value, while still allowing them to delve into their favourite discipline to bring their expertise to the table," he explained. "They help to demystify other subject areas, and that opens up a very important door for students."
For Danielle Jenson, the opportunity to study entrepreneurship is critical for all undergraduate students.
"How does a science student think up innovative ideas if they've never been asked to think creatively before?" she said. "Incorporating an experience that pushes people outside of their norm and encourages collaboration during your undergraduate degree is important for growth."
Three University of Alberta faculties participated in the course--the Alberta School of Business, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Science. There are plans to implement a similar program in Edmonton in the 2017-18 academic year.