Welcome Back Fall 2023

Dear Academy Community,

Welcome to another year of cutting-edge intersectional learning and innovation at the Iovine and Young Academy.

This August we welcome 53 new undergraduate students and 35 new graduate students. They bring unique skills, diverse perspectives, and exciting ideas to our collaborative community.

We also welcome five new stellar faculty with diverse records in cross-cutting innovation:

  • Dr. SeoYoon Sung, assistant research professor in technology and learning innovation
  • Dr. Malcolm Jones, research associate and director of health and wellness innovation
  • John Bruneau, lecturer in extended reality and interactive technologies
  • Jason Mayden, distinguished visiting lecturer in product innovation
  • Mike Kanazawa, distinguished visiting lecturer in business of innovation

We celebrate three well-deserved promotions of IYA full-time faculty:

  • Patrick Dent was promoted to full professor of teaching
  • Matthew Manos was promoted to associate professor of practice
  • Davina Wolter was promoted to associate professor of practice

As well as enhanced engagement of three current part-time faculty and related changes in titles:

  • Carsten Becker, lecturer in extended reality
  • Adam Hughes, lecturer in product innovation
  • Tina Sharkey, lecturer in business of innovation

As our community grows, we are also expanding our curricular offerings and continuously updating them to reflect evolving industry trends.  Please regularly visit the webpages of the IYA intersectional areas to keep up with updates:

Challenge-Based Learning (includes Industry-Driven Challenges + Student-Driven Ventures)

Design Strategy

Business of Innovation

Extended Reality

Physical Computing and Interactive Technologies

Augmented Intelligence

Product Innovation

Health Innovation

Our activity in these areas is further enhanced by expanding networking and partnerships within USC and with industry and community partners. I want to highlight:

An annual cycle of integrated activities for supporting student-driven ventures. It will include:

  • The IYA Founder Bootcamp (October 20, 2023)
  • The IYA Ignite Awards for student Ventures (November 2023)
  • The IYA mentor-in-residence program for student-driven challenges (December 2023 onwards)
  • The IYA Venture Showcase and awarding of the IYA Innovation and Impact prizes (April 2024)

Please visit the Challenge-Based Learning page for full information starting September 8th, 2023.

The announcement by USC leadership of the Frontiers of Computing initiative and the inclusion of IYA in the USC schools that will participate in the initiative. 

Our recently announced partnership with the Roski School of Art and Design, Kaufman School of Dance, and the School of Dramatic Arts for the offering of an interdisciplinary minor in Fashion). This minor may serve as a path to forthcoming progressive graduate degrees: the MFA in Fashion at the Roski School or the MS in Fashion Innovation at the Iovine and Young Academy (set to launch Fall 2025).

This summer, we also announced plans for an in-person version of our highly successful MS in Integrated Design, Business and Technology launching August 2024. The in-person version will synergize with the online version, advanced ACAD courses, Directed Research, and Challenge-Based Learning experiences to offer interested students the opportunity for hybrid, stand-alone or progressive graduate study at the IYA.

We are also expanding our physical footprint to accommodate our expanding community. In the Spring of 2024 we will offer an Industry Lab (with industry, faculty, and student participation) that will begin the design of the third floor of Iovine and Young Hall (IYH) as an innovation hub spanning industry, student, and faculty challenge-based projects and ventures. Spring 2024 will also see the opening of new prototyping spaces in the ground floor of IYH, physical computing and data and computing, and the expansion of our XR lab. 

Our expanding community will rely heavily on increased student and alumni engagement. Last spring we had the opportunity to connect with several of our alumni in New York City, sparking a new tradition. We look forward to meeting with our LA and San Francisco based alumni communities in the coming months, all leading to the formal launch of IYA's alumni-in-residence network.

We would also like to announce the formation and support of an IYA student organization that will organize cross-cohort social and networking events, and host an annual IYA showcase displaying select student work. I want to thank the IYA students who took the initiative to create the association.

A big thank you to all of you for making our community a diverse hub of innovation, and special thanks to all IYA faculty and staff for supporting the amazing growth of IYA in its first ten years. 

I will be starting weekly office hours for students after Labor Day, and I am looking forward to connecting with many of our students in person. 

Thanks for your attention and contributions. Enjoy the year and INNOVATE ON!

Thanassis Rikakis

Dean

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