Innovation Studies Program at Hamline University

Since the establishment of the Appeldorn Family Endowed Fund for Innovation Studies at Hamline University in 2014 by Roger and Marilyn Appeldorn and their family, we have collaborated with the Appeldorns and numerous professionals to organize a variety of events. For undergraduate students, we developed an interdisciplinary course titled "Innovation," which has been offered ten times. This course introduces students to the basic principles and best practices of the innovation process and guides them in developing, writing, and presenting an innovation plan. For high school students, we hosted Innovation Camps during the summers of 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Additionally, for high school science educators, we organized a Renewable Energy Innovations workshop on February 17, 2024.

In this GRIT presentation, we will discuss these events, share our insights, and engage in a dialogue on future directions.

Bruce Bolon is a professor in the physics department at Hamline University, where he has taught since 2002. He received his PhD in theoretical plasma physics from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he also spent much of his spare time taking music classes and almost completing an undergraduate degree in music theory/composition (the relevance of this will be made apparent later).

Bruce first met Roger Appeldorn in the early 2010's and immediately became one of his biggest fans. Around 2014, Bruce and Roger, with the help of many others (including several GRIT members) started making plans for a course on "The Process of Innovation" at Hamline. Working with Roger, et al., on this has been one of the most rewarding endeavors of Bruce's career, and he is very proud of the work that Lifeng Dong has done with Innovation Studies since he took over its leadership.

Roger's passing a couple of years ago was extremely sad for those of us that knew him well, as he was an inspiration to many of us. Bruce is a better person for having known Roger, and was proud to use his music background to write a choral/orchestral piece in his honor using the excerpt from the poem "On Imagination" by Phillis Wheatley that he read at Roger's funeral. Roger is greatly missed, but his legacy lives on through the many ways in which he touched all of our lives.

Dr. Lifeng Dong is a full professor and the department chair of the Department of Physics at Hamline University, where he holds the Emma K. and Carl R. N. Malmstrom Chair in Physics. He obtained his Ph.D. and M.S. in physics, following an M.S. in materials science and engineering and a B.S. in mechanical engineering. Passionate about advancing education, research, and community service, Dr. Dong focuses on interdisciplinary endeavors bridging art, science, sustainability, and innovation. His research aims to enhance the fundamental understanding of the relationships between nanomaterial structures and their properties, particularly in applications such as renewable energy conversion and storage, air and water filtration and purification, and biosensors for flexible electronics. Additionally, he investigates the conversion of biomass wastes into valuable products to address pressing environmental challenges. Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to the field, authoring over 350 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

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