Novel Interventions: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Curricular Design in Language for Specific Purposes Classrooms.

• This study presents a two-fold project aimed at developing a replicable process model for the development of meaningful interdisciplinary learning opportunities for undergraduate students. It also details a case study in the Department of Romance Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The project’s primary objectives include surfacing assumptions about teaching and learning in language for specific purpose classrooms, co-creating teaching tools that incorporate textual analysis skills into Medical Spanish coursework, and offering a process model for interdisciplinary collaboration in pedagogical design.

“Defining Innovation for the Public Good”. To be submitted to Stanford Social Innovation Review in November, 2025.

• Public universities are uniquely positioned to generate innovations that address societal challenges. In 2020, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill launched Carolina NEXT: Innovations for the Public Good, integrating human-centered design (HCD) into its strategic planning process to embed innovation across disciplines. This approach led to the creation of the Design and Innovation for the Public Good (DIPG) unit and the Translating Innovative Ideas for the Public Good (TIIP) Awards, which fund and support faculty to co-create scalable solutions with community partners. This work traces early projects spanned public health, education, and social services, many incorporating commercialization strategies to extend societal impact and seeks to draft a working definition of “innovation for the public good”. Drawing from this applied experience, Innovate Carolina developed an expanded definition of “innovation for the public good” emphasizing co-creation, accessibility, mutual benefit, and inclusive pathways to both social and commercial outcomes. This framework offers a model for universities seeking to democratize innovation and align it with public missions.

“Design Thinking Fellows: A Competency-Based Fellowship Model for Graduate Student Innovation Training”. To be submitted to Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in December, 2025.

• Universities are increasingly called to prepare graduate students to contribute to innovation ecosystems, yet most innovation training opportunities remain limited to short courses or isolated projects. There is a need for structured, competency-based models that extend learning beyond the classroom and provide applied, sustained experience in innovation practice. This article presents the Design Thinking Fellows program, a paid fellowship for graduate students enrolled in the Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good (CIPG) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The fellowship builds directly on required coursework in design thinking and offers students the opportunity to apply these methods in real-world projects under the supervision of a design and innovation manager. We describe the structure of the program, its competency model, and the typical three-semester arc of progression designed for sustained skill development. Data sources include program documentation, supervisory records, and reflections collected from past fellows. The program demonstrates that graduate students from diverse disciplines—including but not limited to public health—can advance through structured innovation competencies while contributing meaningfully to applied projects. Fellows emphasized the value of iterative practice, mentorship, and paid opportunities outside of course credit. Supervisors observed measurable growth across competencies related to creativity, collaboration, and implementation for public good.