U of A Students Invited to Join McMillon Innovation Studio

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The McMillon Innovation Studio exists to shape the future of commerce by developing and enabling students to be catalysts of innovation. Located in the Harmon Parking Garage, the studio loves to see student-led ideas come to life.

Students interested in harnessing innovation to solve real-world problems are encouraged to apply for the spring 2025 Design Teams in the McMillon Innovation Studio.  

The studio serves as an innovation hub to U of A students of all majors and works to develop future leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators by cultivating their creative mindset and connecting them to opportunities to make real-world impact.

Design Teams are established around three impact tracks — organizational, social impact and entrepreneurial — and allow students to harness human-centered design principles to solve pressing industry problems, create social change or work toward their own startup ideas.

Team member applications close Dec. 12. The typical weekly time commitment is two to five hours.

Previous design teams have worked to improve the mobile pantry at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, develop referral and support systems for in-patient psychiatric care and reimagined Drake Field as a hub for autonomous vehicles.  

The semester will conclude with Demo Day, the studio's capstone event showcasing the learnings and prototypes developed by student teams. Students who are on a team for one semester are eligible to apply for a paid project manager position, allowing them an opportunity to lead a team the following semester.

Namrata Anand, who started as a Design Team member and rose to senior project lead, said joining "McMillon was the best decision I made in my undergraduate career."

"Over my years at the studio, I had the opportunity to plan community building events and really immerse myself in the world of (entrepreneurship and innovation)," Anand said. "I learned about design thinking and collaboration, grew my confidence in public speaking and was welcomed into a community that made me feel like I fit in immediately." 

Overseen by the U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the studio is located on the sixth and seventh floors of the Harmon Avenue Parking Garage.

Spurred by significant growth and increased demand, the studio doubled its existing space in the fall to better accommodate the rising number of students and program offerings.

About McMillon Innovation Studio: The McMillon Innovation Studio exists to shape the future of commerce by developing and enabling students to be catalysts of innovation. The studio hosts interdisciplinary student collaboration teams and provides prototyping space for students and faculty across campus to connect and create together. Inside the studio, students have access to makerspace tools like CAD modeling and 3D printers, as well as a band saw, drill press, CNC and sewing machine.