WVU faculty chosen for seventh IDEA Fellows cohort

Following a rigorous application process, the Office of the Provost has selected five new WVU faculty members as recipients of the 2023-25 Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Applied Faculty Fellowship, a multi-disciplinary initiative to bolster the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation at WVU. 

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

The IDEA Fellows will infuse entrepreneurial ideas into their coursework for the coming academic year. In addition, as a cohort, they will work to champion entrepreneurship and innovation across the University over the next two years. 

The 2023-2025 IDEA Faculty Fellows are:

Anne Jones, business advisor for the Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab, director of entrepreneurship with StartUp West Virginia, and instructor of innovation and entrepreneurship

Dimas Abreu Archanjo Dutra, teaching assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Dana Wright, associate professor and Extension agent with WVU Extension

Christian Schaupp, professor of accounting in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics

Levente Denes, associate professor of sustainable biomaterials in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

“We are very excited to welcome our seventh cohort of IDEA Faculty Fellows. This diverse group will be attending Innovation and Entrepreneurship training and then infusing what they learn into their classes,” said Carrie White, the executive director of the Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab who oversees the IDEA Faculty Fellows program. “We are so excited to see the innovation they bring to their curriculum as well as across campus.”

During the 2023-2025 academic years, Fellows will offer courses in their academic discipline that incorporate exciting new approaches and best practices in innovation, design and entrepreneurship. 

For example, one new course will seek opportunities that will have a positive impact on communities in the state. This course will seek to increase capacity building for Black-owned businesses in West Virginia through development of a resource network. Another course will focus on rapid prototyping and 3D-printing of sustainable biomaterials. This hands-on course will foster creativity and innovation in the students taking the class. All of the new or modified courses will focus on students’ ability to identify problems and opportunities in the state and incorporate innovation and entrepreneurship into those opportunities. 

The IDEA Fellows program is overseen by the Office of the Provost and presents an opportunity for faculty to become involved by directly creating curriculum to enhance students’ skills in the areas of applied innovation, design and entrepreneurship.

Read more about the program. 

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