FSU Students to Develop Innovative Solutions in ‘Rapid Relocation’ 24-Hour Design Sprint

Florida State University’s Innovation Hub and College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (COSSPP) will host a 24-Hour Design Sprint for all FSU students focused on “Rapid Relocation: Enhancing Emergency Evacuation in Florida” starting Friday, January 31.

The event will take place at FSU’s Innovation Hub (located in the Shores Building) from 4 p.m. on Friday, January 31, until 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 1. No activities are planned overnight from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The Innovation Hub will be open until midnight on Friday to support teamwork. At that time, teams are encouraged to go home and sleep to be productive throughout the day.

FSU students are encouraged to register to participate as soon as possible, as this opportunity is available to the first 50 students who sign up at www.innovation.fsu.edu/rapid-relocation.

“The College of Social Sciences and Public Policy is excited to partner with Ken Baldauf in FSU’s Innovation Hub for our first-ever Design Sprint,” said COSSPP Dean Tim Chapin, Ph.D. “Engaging students in public policy problems through Design Thinking offers the promise of both education and policy innovation.”

Through Design Thinking, a process taught by FSU’s Innovation Hub, students will create innovative solutions to answer the question: With coastal communities facing escalating threats from hurricanes and flooding, how might we promote better and more complete evacuation of individuals living near Florida’s coasts?

This is the first in a series for COSSPP’s new “Data for Social Good” initiative. This initiative draws on the work being done in the college and beyond by our faculty, students, and alumni to address the many challenges faced by contemporary society. It connects with COSSPP’s long-standing commitment to analyzing a range of problems facing communities from the social sciences perspective.

This event is open to students in all majors and is an opportunity to make new connections and gain marketable skills. Participants will receive three meals, an event t-shirt, and the chance to compete to win $3,000 in prizes, which will be distributed among the winners for first, second, and third placements for teams, as well as individualized prizes. Teams will be judged based on the innovation, creativity, impact, feasibility, and effectiveness of their prototype and pitch. Potential solutions can include physical inventions, apps, services, systems, or a combination of multiple media.

Students will benefit from COSSPP alumni and faculty experts who will provide strategic insights throughout the challenge, such as Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director David Merrick and Urban and Regional Planning Associate Professor Tisha Holmes, Ph.D.

Alumnus Joe Paul (B.S. Social Science ’02) is an accomplished leader in the innovation of artificial intelligence and ethical technology with over 20 years of experience in executive leadership, business transformation, strategy, and capacity building. As the Founder and CEO of OptimaNova AI, he has revolutionized how organizations implement and leverage AI to create equitable and impactful solutions.

Paul will also lecture on “The Ethical Imperative of AI—Balancing Innovation and Responsibility” on Thursday, January 30, at 2:30 p.m. in the DeVoe L. Moore Center Conference Room (Bellamy 150E), leading into the Design Sprint. He will explore the intersection of technological advancement and ethical responsibility and discuss how AI can drive innovation while addressing critical societal concerns, emphasizing the need for equitable and inclusive AI practices. For more info, click here.

Previous Design Sprints led by Innovation Hub with FSU campus partners — including the College of Nursing, College of Social Work, and the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights — have produced a range of creative and viable solutions for rebuilding cities, reducing energy consumption, combating human trafficking, designing smart homes for healthy aging, and improving the child welfare system.

These Design Sprints help students break out of rigid forms of thinking and problem-solving to develop new methodologies and approach problems from an interdisciplinary perspective.

To learn more about FSU’s Design Sprints, visit www.innovation.fsu.edu/design-sprints. For more information on FSU’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, visit cosspp.fsu.edu.