We are offering 13 IPRO 497-3xx summer 2013 sections. All IPRO summer sections are scheduled for Session B (June 3 to July 26).

As of May 20, IPRO 333 and IPRO 337 need additional students from various majors and so we encourage you to consider those projects. At this point in time, the other listed IPRO sections will not accommodate additional students beyond any open seats that may be available. The minimum IPRO section size is generally seven students.

IPRO sections are set up with capacity limits and limits on the number of students from the majors that are expected to be most attracted to a specific IPRO project. If you are unable to register because the section is closed or there is any other restriction, you are urged to consider other IPRO sections that interest you. You may also add yourself to the wait list for a closed IPRO section. Students who are waitlisted will be reviewed by the IPRO Program and instructor if there is an opportunity to add students to a given IPRO section.

Questions about choosing an IPRO project and IPRO registration can be directed to Tom Jacobius (jacobius@iit.edu).return to top

305: Serious Games for Rehabilitation

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Tuesdays/Thursdays from 12:10 to 2:50 pm

Sponsor:

In collaboration with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC)

Faculty:

Bonnie Haferkamp (BME) (haferkamp@iit.edu)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Applied Mathematics, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Humanities, Industrial Technology & Management, Information Technology Management, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Psychology

Description:

An increasing population of patients undergoing rehabilitation due to traumatic brain injury, amputations, stroke and other conditions grew up playing computer and video games. In this IPRO, serious games will be developed to enhance rehabilitation of this population. Serious games are designed to provide a specific benefit to the user beyond their entertainment value. Here, games will be developed that incorporate physical therapy components, allowing a patient to augment existing therapy in a format conducive to high levels of compliance. Consideration will be given to game design that promotes peer interaction/support and enhances motivation.

The project began in the Spring 2013 semester, and may extend across multiple semesters, with each semester focusing on a specific set of goals and deliverables. A target audience for the game will be selected by the IPRO team, such as injured veterans returning from war with brain injuries. New target audiences may be addressed in subsequent semesters. Students will meet with potential users and rehabilitation personnel to develop user requirements, select a platform for deploying the game, develop functional requirements and architecture, prototype, test and document the game, and test with users.return to top

311: Developing Hygro-Responsive Membranes for Oil–Water Separation in the Waste Oil Recovery Market

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B: (June 3 to July 26) Tuesdays/Thursdays from 6:00 to 8:40 pm

Sponsor:

Cognitek

Faculty:

Mark McKinney (ARCH) (mmckinn5@iit.edu)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Applied Mathematics, Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, BusinessAdministration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Technology & Management, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Molecular Biochemistry & Biophysics, Physics, Proessional & Technical Communication

Description:

There is a critical need for new energy-efficient solutions to separate oil–water mixtures, especially those stabilized by surfactants. A surfactant is a substance that tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved. Traditional membrane-based separation technologies are energy-intensive and limited, either by fouling (polluting) or by the inability of a single membrane to separate all types of oil–water mixtures.

This IPRO project will explore a new technology that uses membranes with hygro-responsive surfaces. These membranes can separate, for the first time, a range of different oil–water mixtures in a single-unit operation, with >99.9% separation efficiency, by using the difference in capillary forces. This separation methodology is solely gravity-driven and consequently is more energy-efficient than other oil-water separation methods. Further, this separation methodology has numerous applications, including the clean-up of oil spills, wastewater treatment, fuel purification and the separation of commercially relevant emulsions as well as a variety of consumer products.

This IPRO will explore the HygraTek technology through the making of a waste oil recovery prototype system for commercial and industrial applications (including food processors, restaurants, and auto-care facilities). The project will begin in the summer 2013 session and continue through subsequent development phases with the fall 2013 session. Students do not have to sign up for both semesters to contribute to this project.return to top

313: Refuelable Electric Vehicle

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Mondays/Wednesdays from 3:00 to 5:40 pm

Sponsor:

In collaboration with and/or support from Exelon, Pioneer Conversions, Zinc-Air, Inc. and Argonne National Laboratory

Faculty:

Francisco Ruiz (MMAE) (ruiz@iit.edu)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Aerospace Engineering, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management, Entrepreneurship, Industrial Technology & Management, Journalism of Technology, Science & Business, Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Political Science, Professional & Technical Communication

Description:

Electric cars are clean and energy-efficient, but they have a limited range and need to make lengthy stops to recharge their batteries. Our project aims at using a special battery developed about 20 years ago at Lawrence Livermore National Labs, which can be continuously “refueled” with zinc particles, in order to make an electric car that will only need to make short stops to refill its tank. Now in its sixth semester and with most non-battery components already in place, our final aim is to shatter the long-distance speed record for electric cars with a 600-mile run from Chicago to Washington in less than 12 hours, with one refueling stop.

The goals for the summer and fall 2013 IPRO teams are to follow through on the work of the fall 2012 and spring 2013 teams, depending on what they have been able to achieve. The spring 2013 IPRO team is expected to test a car with a surrogate battery, and design and construct a full-size battery and refueling system. This will be accomplished through the following types of tasks: (1) Test car with generator set; (2) Design full-size battery; and (3) Design zinc oxide recovery system. It will then need to be prototyped and tested with a prototype fuel cell. If successful, the next steps are to design and build a full-size cell. The project needs students proficient in automotive technology, batteries and fuel cells, power electronics, web design and general promotion.return to top

314: U Farm IIT: Growing Community

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Tuesdays/Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:40 pm

Sponsor:

Faculty:

Rodger Cooley (ARCH) (rcooley@iit.edu) (jrojet@yahoo.com) in consultation with Erika Allen, National Projects Director, Growing Power Chicago

Appropriate Disciplines:

Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Business, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Engineering Management, Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

Description:

The health and well being of individuals, communities and environments in the United States are challenged and compromised by the dominant industrial food system. Obesity, diabetes and other diet related diseases, waste of organic nutrients, massive water pollution, and excessive green houses gasses are linked to how food is produced, harvested, distributed, processed, marketed, prepared and consumed.

The vast majority of fresh produce travels over 1200 miles to get to Chicago. Produce is harvested early before it is at peak ripeness, processed at multiple steps and retailed 7-10 days after picking. This leads to a loss of nutritional value all along the chain before it consumed. Varieties are picked for appearance and shipping and storage rather than taste, nutrient value, and cultural value/history. Because of the standardization of fruit and vegetable production, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization calculated 75% of crop diversity has been lost since 1900. A loss of diversity and genetics never researched for qualities such as disease and pest resistance, drought tolerance, and nutritional benefits. There are many other urban and market trends and motivating factors that have stimulated the urban agriculture movement.

Since it’s inception in the fall of 2011, U Farm IIT has been adding elements and partners to address the problems of the dominant food system using the opportunities provided by urban agriculture. Similar projects at other universities have started at a similar basic level and grew over time to become robust programs providing diverse educational opportunities and career pathways for students; incorporating many departments through research, curriculum, and projects; generating revenue through sales, grants and donations; providing access to healthy produce for local communities; and positive attention and differentiation for the universities.

Goals for the summer session consist of: (1) Continue development on U Farm IIT’s infrastructure; (2) Develop a HACCP (Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Point) plan for produce growing and processing and undertake HACCP training in coordination with IIT's Institute for Food Safety & Health (IFSH) faculty and students; (3) Expand community outreach and connections; (4) Continue to learn about production of produce on the U Farm IIT site and continued marketing of produce; and (5) Furthering long term planning for urban agriculture initiatives at IIT.

This project is planned to continue in the fall 2013 semester as part of a newly-formed multi-team IPRO 497-02 Urban Agriculture Innovation Cluster (on Thursday afternoons).return to top

319: Evaluation and Improvement of the Order Fulfillment Process for Industrial Scales

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Mondays/Wednesdays 3:00 to 5:40 pm

Sponsor:

Doran Scales

Faculty:

Phil Lewis (INTM) (lewisp262@aol.com)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Applied Mathematics, Business, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management, Industrial Technology & Management, Information Technology & Management, Mechanical Engineering, Psychology

Description:

The purpose of this IPRO team is to improve the Order Fulfillment Process at Doran Scales. The goals of the project are three-fold: (1) identify events in the Fulfillment Process that need improvement, and (2) evaluate the circumstances around the event, and (3) develop insights from this evaluation that can lead to identifying and deveoping solutions that will enable the desired improvement.

This is a classic order fulfillment project routinely undertaken by companies wishing to better understand and improve their lead times and overall customer satisfaction. The team will become familiar with the mechanics of processing a customer order in a manufacturing plant and observe where bottle necks occur that slow down the process or where there are opportunities for errors.

This will be accomplished by observing the various employees at Doran Scales who are involved in fulfilling a customer order. The team will chart the process and evaluate its findings to identify areas for improvement, as well as apply creative engineering methodologies to find solutions. The team will work with Doran Scales staff to identify constraints and evaluate implementation options.return to top

320: Building Agricultural Infrastructure in Bronzeville

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:40 pm

Sponsor:

In collaboration with Bronzeville Urban Development

Faculty:

Blake Davis (INTM) (davisbl@iit.edu)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Architecture, Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Biology, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Civil Engineering, Engineering Management, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Technology & Management, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Molecular Biochemistry & Biophysics, Political Science

Description:

Bronzeville is a developing community. It is adjacent to IIT and serves as a bridge between IIT and the University of Chicago. It is a community with some severe problems including pockets of extreme poverty, aging infrastructure and vacant lots left by years of neglect. This project focuses on unused community assets (abandoned railroad line, electrical substation and several city-owned vacant lots) to develop an urban food-raising core in the neighborhood. This core is intended to turn a negative aspect of the community into a strength and will provide food choices where they currently don't exist, employ unemployed people and develop a community and cultural asset in Bronzeville.

Bronzeville Urban Development (B.U.D.), a not-for-profit organization that is redeveloping the old Stockyards railroad property, which parallels 41st Street from State Street to Lake Park, as a sustainable food system including greenhouses, gardens and aquaponics facilities. The Stockyards railroad is an abandoned elevated railroad line that includes several abandoned train stations, a vacant ComEd substation and some adjacent vacant lots. The initial focus for this redevelopment is a specific site within this Stockyard railroad property, referred to as the “Alpha Site”, that includes predominantly city-owned vacant lots, a Commonwealth Edison substation (also vacant), as well as the largest of the eight embankments along the rail line.

This IPRO team will continue the work of the Spring 2013 IPRO 320 team to develop and refine plans for how the redevelopment can be accomplished. More specifically, the goal of the IPRO team will be to conduct a physical survey of the Alpha Site and develop a detailed plan for redeveloping it. The team will also focus on designing the structures needed to access the top of the embankment. The team will continue working with the staff and board of Bronzeville Urban Development, and with an environmental engineering company contracted by B.U.D. to do a Level 2 Environmental Survey

The activities and tasks that support achievement of the IPRO team's goals are: (1) Prepare a landscaping plan for ground level lots, including garden plots; (2) Design an access structure for the railroad embankment; (3) Design a food growing system utilizing LEED certified greenhouses, solar collectors and aquaponics systems to produce food year-round on the site on the embankment; (4) Use environmental surveys to determine what remediation activities need to be pursued for the Commonwealth Edison substation and the vacant train station on the Alpha Site; and (5) Integrate commercial, cultural, educational and recreational elements into the plan.

This project is planned to continue in the fall 2013 semester as part of a newly-formed multi-team IPRO 497-02 Urban Agriculture Innovation Cluster (on Thursday afternoons). return to top

321: IIT Green Infrastructure Stormwater Design

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Tuesdays/Thursdays from 12:10 to 2:50 pm

Sponsor:

Faculty:

Mary Pat Mattson (ARCH) (mmattso2@iit.edu) and Paul Anderson (CAEE) (andersonp@iit.edu)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Architecture, Biology, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Political Science, Journalism of Technology, Landscape Architecture, Science & Business, Professional & Technical Communication

Description:

Stormwater management is among the most critical issues Chicago faces this century, not only for the health of sites within the city (reduced flooding, using rainwater as a resource not threat, et cetera), but for its ability to abate downstream effects of combined-sewer treatment and overflow in the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Therefore, the ability of sites within the City to manage stormwater on-site through green infrastructure design that will capture, slow, treat, and recharge water before it enters the municipal system is of paramount importance. The City of Chicago is undertaking several initiatives, policies, and plans to address this issue, and is encouraging public and private entities to implement green infrastructure features to collectively tackle this city and regional phenomenon

IIT has declared that “IIT will become the most sustainable, urban university campus in the United States“ and has published a statement within its sustainability plans that it will manage 100% of its stormwater by 2020. The design and engineering to achieve both of these will increase value for the social, ecological, economic, and aesthetic goals of the campus and community. A Fall 2012 Landscape Architecture studio within the College of Architecture is currently developing scenarios for integrating stormwater green infrastructure into the campus landscape. This IPRO will build off this studio design work, and will explore scientific, engineering and economic frameworks for the proposed location and scope of proposed green infrastructure projects.

The IPRO would continue the research and design work completed through LA543 – Landscape Architecture studio called ‘Urban Water’. The team will focus on the engineering and economic aspects of stormwater green infrastructure implementation on the campus, setting out metrics and potential paths for achieving the 2020 goal of capturing and retaining stormwater on campus. The IPRO would continue to investigate at a finer scale the selected design direction from the LA543 studio –and will site survey, site engineer, and develop a cost benefit analysis for the proposed scope of work. A potential further outcome of the team’s work will be the synthesis of the study into a set of drawings, diagrams, and data to support the development of an RFP for future design and implementation.

The major activities and tasks that support the above purpose and goals include surveying the site and infrastructure Stormwater site engineering design study Cost analysis, including life cycle costing, as well as meetings with campus senior administration, City of Chicago, MWRDGC, Bronzeville stakeholders.return to top

328: The Princeton Park Collaborative

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Meeting Days/Time:

Tuesdays/Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:40 pm

Sponsor:

Faculty:

William Briggs (CAEE) (wbriggs@iit.edu) and Steve Beck (sbeck@codallc.net)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Biomedical Engineering, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Technology & Management, Information Technology Management, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Political Science, Professional & Technical Communication, Psychology

Description:

The Princeton Park Collaborative was established to identify and address the needs of the nearby Princeton Park neighborhood at 95th and the Dan Ryan. As part of the larger Roseland community, Princeton Park is named for a 1944 development that replaced farm land with a park surrounded by houses. Critical relationships have been established, with various neighborhood organizations, that allow unfettered contact with real stakeholders (community leaders, residents, and business owners). Teams are tasked with meeting these stakeholders, identifying their needs, responding to those needs, and presenting the team’s results to them.

This 5-block by 7-block neighborhood remains extremely walk-friendly and borders the 95th street stop of the CTA Red Line. The CTA stop allows the bulk of the neighborhood to be considered transit-oriented which provides unique development opportunities that other neighborhoods do not. Another unique amenity is a pedestrian bridge connecting school children to their elementary school east of the Dan Ryan.

Previous projects undetaken by The Princeton Park Collaborative have included the adaptive reuse of a previous church into a community center and the design of a 70-unit assisted living facility. The community center board is currently using the information provided by the IPRO teams in their search for funding. The work of the teams has included the development of needed programs; code and zoning analysis; construction and operating budgets; as well as schematic architectural and systems design. The work of the Princeton Park Collaborative is destined to leave a long-lasting impact on this community interested in maintaining its identity and providing for its residents.

This project is planned to continue in the fall 2013 semester as part of a newly-formed multi-team IPRO 497-01 Community Innovation Cluster (on Tuesday afternoons).return to top

330: Urban Activators: Neighborhood Placemaking

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Tuesdays/Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:40 pm

Sponsor:

In collaboration with Chicago's 25th Ward, 3rd Ward and Bronzeville Alliance

Faculty:

Monica Chadha (ARCH) (mchadha1@iit.edu)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering Management, Environmental Engineering, Information Technology & Management, Journalism of Technology, Science & Business, Materials Engineering, Math & Science Education, Mechanical Engineering, Political Science, Psychology, Technical Communication

Description:

Traditionally, development in neighborhoods has occurred through a long term planning process. These efforts take several years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete. The recommendations from these plans are costly and it is difficult to evaluate the success of the work until it has been actualized. This has been a problematic approach due to its length of time and costs. In our current economic context it is difficult to even justify some of the long term planning efforts without the ability to measure its possibility for success.

A new trend has emerged within communities and neighborhoods. There has been a push to come up with smaller scale, quick and less costly actions that test the ideals of the long term plans. Many call these efforts placemaking. Placemaking is defined as “ a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces” that includes community feedback to discover the needs and aspirations of the community. This is used to create a common vision that can “quickly evolve into an implementation strategy, beginning with small-scale, do-able improvements that can immediately bring benefits to public spaces and the people who use them” (www.pps.org)

The IPRO team will have the opportunity to explore these challenges and ultimately create a short term action that can address larger issues of two significant Chicago neighborhoods. The team will study the broader issues that each neighborhood is addressing, focus on economic development opportunities, and develop a plan of action for two case studies, one in each neighborhood.

The objective of the team is to build a relationship with community organizations and local residents to better understand the context of the environment we live in. The team will achieve this by taking a hands on approach to urban challenges and developing solutions/ideas to actualize a project that addresses these challenges.

More concretely, the IPRO team will have the opportunity to participate in a community revitalization project, collaborate with organizations outside of school and create a visual and physical example that reflects a long-term strategic plan. Students do not often have the opportunity to engage with communities outside the school and develop partnerships. The class seeks to create a model for projects that are based on the needs identified locally by community organizations and residents. The resulting projects should be able to be supported by the community; the project should not end or cease to exist once the semester ends.

The research, pedagogy and testing that the team will undertake during this project will help to inform broader strategies of placemaking. The Metropolitan Planning Council, among others, is interested in working with the students to look at and see how small scale projects can have a larger impact on the neighborhood. The team will conduct both secondary and primary research, engage in oureach and develop schematic plans, prototype and test solutions in collaboration with comunity organizations, and fabricate a viable placemaking solution.return to top

333: Community Engagement: Streetscapes & Development

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Tuesdays/Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:40 pm

Sponsor:

In collaboration with Bronzeville Retail Initiative

Faculty:

Joseph Clair (ARCH) (clairjos@iit.edu)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Technology & Management, Information Technology & Management, Journalism of Technology, Science & Business, Mechanical Engineering, Political Science, Psychology, Technical Communication

Description:

Neighborhoods need to continually rethink their approach to economic development, taking into account many factors that influence the interaction between businesses and residents. Well-planned streetscapes and near-street development strongly influence decisions of both residents and visitors to frequent business districts, and their decisions – in turn – influence developers. This creates a cycle of development that can strengthen communities.

The Spring 2013 IPRO 333 team is on-track to deliver a web-based tool that catalogues current available retail property in a format that is easy-to-use for local economic development organizations, developers, and community residents. Once developed, the tool will include renderings and building assessments for one of the retail corridors in Bronzeville, i.e., 47th Street. The tool will be scalable by the client to other retail districts in the community.

Building on the work of the spring team, the Summer 2013 IPRO 333 team has the following goals: (1) Expand the building renderings for 47th Street to include all streetscape elements including the Green Line transit stop; (2) Evaluate streetscape and off-street development strategies for each block from the Dan Ryan to Cornell incorporating Chicago DOT new standards; and (3) Create a streetscape conceptual plan documenting all opportunities.

The above goals will be accomplished through the following types of activities and tasks: (1) Walk 47th Street from the Dan Ryan to Cornell documenting current streetscape and off-street development; (2) Contact Chicago DOT for current street drawings and any previously evaluated ideas for improvements; (3) Contact CTA for current information about the 47th Street Green Line Station including any plans for improvements; (4) Catalogue, benchmark, and evaluate ideas for streetscape improvement, paying particular attention to strategies developed by CDOT; (5) Document recommended improvements for each block along 47th Street; and (6) Update the rendering created by IPRO 333 Spring 2013 to include the new streetscape ideas.

This project is planned to continue in the fall 2013 semester as part of a newly-formed multi-team IPRO 497-01 Community Innovation Cluster (on Tuesday afternoons).return to top

337: Aging in Place: Creating Smart Hub Enabling Better Multi-Sensor Data Capture & Management to Assure Elderly Well-Being

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Tuesdays/Thursdays from 6:00 to 8:40 pm

Sponsor:

iButtonLink LLC

Faculty:

Dan Tomal (INTM) (drtomal@iit.edu) and Jeremy Hajek (ITM) (hajek@iit.edu)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Biomedical Engineering, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Technology & Management, Information Technology & Management, Psychology

Description:

Heard of the Internet of Things? Smart Devices? Sensors? Embedded Systems? This IPRO is an opportunity to be in the middle of the Smart Devices revoluton and conceive a smart product that can assist a remote caregiver, such as a family member, in making sure that everything is ok with the person they are caring for so that he or she can live longer independently, ie., age in place.

In sum, the problem statement is: "How might we monitor the health and safety of the elderly in their own home through smart wireless sensor technology remotely with caregivers, thereby reducing the level of engagement of on-site caregivers.

While there is no definite solution in mind, the IPRO team will most likely take advantage of wireless sensors and smart technology that are used in a vast array of applications such as monitoring air flow, humidity, and temperatures in facilities that range from data ceners to hospitals and health care facilities. The concepts that develop may employ other technologies such as electronics and 1-wire applications. The IPRO team may work with a sensor hub-based technology such as the Raspberry PI http://raspberrypi.org/ (or similar computer), a very low cost Linux single board computer, and possibly some of the Sponsor’s hardware.return to top

340: Business Study of Alternative Uses of Brewers' Spent Grain

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) Mondays/Wednesdays from 12:10 to 2:50 pm

Sponsor:

In collaboration with Brewmasters of Rock Bottom Brewery and Naperville Brewery as well as Kramer Tree Specialists, Inc.

Faculty:

Phil Lewis (INTM) (lewisp262@iit.edu)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Applied Mathematics, Biology, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Technology & Management, Journalism of Technology, Science & Business, Molecular Biochemistry & Biophysics, Political Science, Professional & Technical Communication, Psychology

Description:

Micro Breweries are springing up all over the USA particularly in cities. These Micro Breweries share the same problem of "What to do with their spent Grain". Disposing of a useful product in a landfill is not in the spirit of "Green" particularly when in large quantities the product is being used. Creative thinking is always needed, this IPRO will require it.

The Beer brewing process produces a spent rain by product that contains valuable nutrients. Large Brewers who produce a lot of spent grain market it to users who feed it to animals and will pay for it.Micro Brewers on the other hand who have limited quantities of spent grain are not able to find a Cattle Feed buyer and subsequently dispose of it as a waste product. Spent grain has a value,however in small quantities the value is less than the cost of acquiring it.

This IPRO will build upon a prior IPRO in summer 2011 that identified Grow Chicago an urban farm cooperative as a user of Spent Grain as compost. The Summer 2012 IPRO proposed will focus onovercoming the current Micro Brewers practical barriers to implementing alternative uses and attempt to establish a new business model where the grain is collected from a cooperative of Micro Brewersand utilized in the Grow Chicago urban farm cooperative.

The goal of the summer 2013 IPRO team will be to establish the business model for efficient collection and use of MicroBrewers Spent Grain. This will be supported through the following activities and tasks: (1) Team Members will familiarize itself with the uses for spent grain and the businesses that acquire spent grain; (2) The Team will familiarize itself with the barriers prohibiting small volume; (3) Brewer demographics will be characterized based on their participation in the spent grain business market as identified in the Summer 2011 IPRO; (4) Identify solutions to barriers; (5) Evaluate business practices, logistics, cost, storage, composition, packaging, partnering, etc in order to find solutions; and work in partnership with the collaborating organizations and Brewers Association of Chicagothroughout the semester.return to top

373: The Social Innovation Workshop

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Meeting Days/Time:

Session B (June 3 to July 26) -- Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:40 pm

Sponsor:

In collaboration with Gautam Ramnath, IIT Alumnus in Architecture and Construction Management, Director of US & Latin American Investments, Innovations & Partnerships Division for the Global Alliance for Improve Nutrition (GAIN)

Faculty:

Steve Beck (CAEE) (sbeck@codallc.net)

Appropriate Disciplines:

Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Business Administration, Business Administration & Applied Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management, Environmental Engineering, Industrial Technology & Management, Information Technology & Management, Materials Engineering, Math & Science Education, Mechanical Engineering, Molecular Biochemistry & Biophysics, Physics, Political Science, Professional & Technical Communication, Psychology

Description:

Social Innovation is the act of developing new ideas, whether concepts, products or services, which positively serve to impact pressing global needs. These are issues that cut across the boundaries of the state, the market and the household. As a result the classic tools of government policy on the one hand, and market solutions on the other, have proved inadequate.

As such, over the last 40 years, this gap has prompted the growth of new social ventures, and in particular those that impact the developing world. These ventures, whether grown from a single idea or as a result of long-term service initiatives now span across both public and private markets. They remain distinct in that their production is driven by social values as a primary imperative rather than private financial appropriation.

The Social Innovation Workshop will serve to leverage the strengths and multidisciplinary knowledge, skills and points-of-view of students majoring in engineering, architecture & design, the sciences, business, etc., and immerse them as a team in the process of social innovation. The aimi is to positively impact some of the world's most difficult problems – from increasing access to energy, to transport efficiencies, improved agricultural techniques, to clean water and safer housing to waste management and reducing chronic disease.

Through the diversity of experience of a group of professional technical advisors, the team will be guided through a desk reviewand hypotheses development process, product development, business & market planning, field context development, program implementation, performance management & impact evaluation -- within a practical application to a developing world context. As a result of this experience, students will not only develop a potentially marketable product, but also round out their education with a greater awareness about contemporary problem-solving and professional practice in a social innovation context. As business seeks to venture into emerging markets and government seeks to tackle the creation of positive living environments, the skill set attained as a result of the socialinnovation process will prove invaluable as the student enters the dynamics of an economy that has profound implications for the future of public service as well as for an informed citizenry with a global view.

This project is planned to continue in the fall 2013 semester as part of a newly-formed multi-team IPRO 497-01 Community Innovation Cluster (on Tuesday afternoons).return to top

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Student Testimonials

In IPRO, I’m not just answering the questions professors are giving me, I’m learning how to come up with new ideas
and to be a leader. — Thomas Hotz (Mechanical Engineering, ’10) IPRO 341: Product Design, Testing and Market Development (sponsored by Versatility Tool Works)

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Questions?

For questions regarding IPRO courses, please email Tom Jacobius at jacobius@iit.edu.