🧠 Innovation Studio & Undergraduate Research
Real Problems. Bold Experiments. Responsible Innovation.
Overview
Not all innovation starts in a lab or with a grant. At ASU’s Responsible Innovation Lab, students tackle complex problems through hands-on, ethical, and creative design—whether through intensive research fellowships or in the capstone Innovation Studio.
This showcase features student work from:
The Innovation Studio (FIS 480)
ASU’s flagship undergraduate capstone on ethical innovation, foresight, and systems change.Undergraduate Research Fellows
Independent, student-led inquiry embedded within the School for the Future of Innovation in Society.
Each project was mentored through the Responsible Innovation Lab, grounded in the INNOVATE framework, and directly aligned with the Responsible Innovation Lab Charter.
What Makes These Projects Different?
Innovation Studio and Research Fellow projects are:
Hands-on and client-aware, often working with real needs and constraints
Value-driven, reflecting ethics, transparency, and inclusion in every step
Interdisciplinary, pulling from sustainability, tech ethics, data science, social design, and policy
Scalable, with live tools, future pathways, and often real-world deployment
These are not theoretical exercises—they are early-stage blueprints for systemic transformation.
Featured Projects (Spring 2025)
🤖 Chatbots for Responsible Innovation
Students: Kenisha Kaushal, Neha Dhanekula, Yiyan Chen, Johnnessa Barroquillo
Studio: Undergraduate Research Fellow
Focus: Development and ethical deployment of Mave & Lurch for RI/PI education
Deliverables:
Embedded chatbots on the Responsible Innovation Lab website
Logging and transparency dashboards for ethical feedback loops
UI/UX alignment with open data ethics
INNOVATE Highlights: Transparency, Ethical Responsibility, Inclusivity
👉 View Poster | Kenisha Kaushal | Neha Dhanekula | Yiyan Chen | Johnnessa Barroquillo
🧭 The Uber Roadmap: Navigating Corporate Education at ASU
Student: Fernando Yanez Martinez
Fellowship: Innovation Studio (FIS 480)
Focus: Empowering non-traditional students in ASU’s Uber/Starbucks degree pathways
Deliverables:
Guidance website for tracking resources, deadlines, and peer community
UX insights into adult learners’ unique needs
INNOVATE Highlights: Inclusive Design, Value-Driven, Accountability
👉 View Poster | Luis Fernando Yáñez-Martínez, CPC, ELI-MP, CTDS | LinkedIn
🍽️ Fueling Minds, Ending Hunger
Students: Zoe Winick, Scarlett Nogosek, Samantha George
Studio: Innovation Studio (FIS 480) / Undergraduate Research Fellow
Focus: Advancing the Hunger-Free Campus Bill through institutional advocacy
Deliverables:
ASU-wide food security strategy
Integration with Pitchfork Pantry and Swipe Out Hunger
Initial concept for HOPE, an equitable tool for unhoused community members
INNOVATE Highlights: Sustainable Impact, Value-Driven Purpose, Equity
👉 View Poster | Zoe Winick | LinkedIn | Samantha George | LinkedIn | Scarlett Nogosek
🧠 AI as a Thinking Partner
Students: Matthew Agustin, Mandi Myers, Hannah Franklin
Studio: Innovation Studio (FIS 480)
Focus: Building an AI literacy course that teaches students to challenge—not obey—machine outputs
Deliverables:
5-module video course with reflective prompts and bias analysis
Curriculum tools for scalable deployment in higher education
INNOVATE Highlights: Next-Gen Thinking, Openness to Change, Ethical Responsibility
👉 View Poster | Matthew Agustin | LinkedIn | Mandi Myers | Hannah Franklin | LinkedIn
Here is one example of their unbelievable work.
Why It’s Called Innovation Studio
The Innovation Studio isn’t a lecture or a test. It’s a design lab for students to tackle the wicked problems of our time using ethical foresight, systems thinking, and rapid innovation. Students propose, prototype, refine, and reflect—all while navigating stakeholder needs, policy contexts, and long-term outcomes.
Here, students don’t “submit” projects—they build solutions.
INNOVATE in Every Step
Each project is an expression of the INNOVATE framework:
I – Inclusive Solutions
N – Next-Gen Thinking
N – Nimble & Scalable
O – Open to Change
V – Value-Driven Purpose
A – Accountability
T – Transparency
E – Ethical Responsibility
S – Sustainable Impact
You’ll find those values called out explicitly on each project’s page.
Calls to Action
🎓 Explore the Work
💼 Hire or Collaborate with These Students
🧠 Want to Learn How We Teach This?
→ INNOVATE Framework Overview
🤝 Interested in Hosting a Student Project or Partnering with the Lab?
→ Connect with the Lab
Final Reflection
From reimagining chatbots to confronting food insecurity, from corporate learning equity to AI ethics—these students aren’t just proving what they know. They’re asking what the world needs, and doing something about it.
This is what Innovation Studio and responsible undergraduate research make possible:
Not just informed citizens—ethical changemakers.