Fellowships | Spelman Innovation

Innovation Lab Fellowships

AY 2024-25

1. Overview

The Innovation Lab is Spelman College’s creative commons for interdisciplinary ideation, design and making. Faculty and students leverage the resources of the lab to develop personal projects, conduct research activity, pursue entrepreneurial ventures, craft new forms of art, prototype new products and ideate on interdisciplinary projects.

The purpose of the Innovation Lab Fellowship program is to guide and support students looking to complete a well-defined, long-term project in the Lab. The Lab provides exposure and mentoring on the practical technologies, methods and practices for materializing and/or productizing the student's project.

The Lab offers 3 year-long fellowship tracks: a Maker Fellowship, a Gaming Fellowship and an Entrepreneurship Fellowship. Students progress through these fellowships by developing and carrying out a project plan leading to the completion of a fellowship project. The project plan is co-developed and/or approved by the Innovation Lab Directors. Requirements of the fellowship project for each fellowship track are outlined in the corresponding track description section below. As a general rule, fellowship projects cannot be “double-counted” to simultaneously satisfy a curricular requirement (consult with the Innovation Lab Directors for possible exceptions).

Approximately 6 fellowships will be offered for the 2024-25 academic year.

2. Maker Fellowship

The Maker Fellowship is designed to enhance and broaden the student’s ability in making, creative practice, and fabrication, particularly when this leverages the Lab's digital capabilities. The broadest of the three fellowships, the Maker Fellowship is suitable for students looking to increase their mastery of makerspace technologies (3D printers, laser cutters, CNC routers and other technologies, physical computing, etc.) as an enhancing supplement to her liberal arts education. Art, product prototype, fashion accessories, prosthetic models, robotic, technology-enhanced performances, hydroponics and research instrumentation are some past projects that could be completed with a Maker Fellowship.

The Maker Fellowship is a two-semester fellowship. Selected fellows will receive stipends on an hourly basis up to $2500, with groups splitting the total amount equally among members.

Maker Fellowship applicants must propose a fellowship project to be completed over the course of the fellowship period. A review of the proposed project will be part of the fellowship applicant selection process. Applicants are encouraged to consult with the Lab Directors (jvolcy@spelman.edu, jholme15@spelman.edu, pthomp14@spelman.edu) about suitable projects for the Maker Fellowship prior to applying. The fellowship project is subject to milestone deliverables and regular check-ins. For student teams, the roles and contributions of each team member needs to be clearly defined.

Fellows are required to document the progress of their project on a public or private media site (blog, social media, etc). Upon completing the fellowship, Fellows should plan on presenting their results at the College’s annual Research Day held in April of the fellowship year.

3. Gaming Fellowship

The Gaming Fellowship is designed to enhance and broaden the student’s ability in the technologies of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Game development, mobile app development and other software efforts not associated with coursework.

The Gaming Fellowship is a two-semester fellowship. Selected fellows will receive stipends on an hourly basis up to $2500, with groups splitting the total amount equally among members.

Gaming Fellowship applicants must propose a fellowship project unrelated to coursework to be completed over the course of the fellowship period. A review of the proposed project will be part of the fellowship applicant selection process. Applicants are encouraged to consult with the Lab Directors (jvolcy@spelman.edu, jholme15@spelman.edu, pthomp14@spelman.edu) about suitable projects for the Gaming Fellowship prior to applying. The fellowship project is subject to milestone deliverables and regular check-ins. For student teams, the roles and contributions of each team member needs to be clearly defined. Upon completing the fellowship.

Fellows are required to document the progress of their project on a public or private media site (blog, social media, etc). Fellows should plan on presenting their results at the College’s annual Research Day held in April of the fellowship year.

4. Prototyping Fellowship (App / Product)

The Blackstone Launchpad Prototyping Fellowship is designed to support Spelman Entrepreneurs as they create their first prototypes. Benefits of the Prototyping Fellowship include stipend support for founders, access to the resources of the Innovation Lab and Blackstone Launchpad and 1-on-1 mentorship for participants. The goals of the fellowship will be to develop a functional prototype of your app or product, validate your concept through user testing and feedback, build a strong foundation for future success, expand your founder’s network, and fortify your entrepreneurship knowledge through co-curricular programming.

The Prototyping Fellowship is a two-semester fellowship. Selected fellows will receive stipends on an hourly basis up to $2500, with groups splitting the total amount equally among members.

Prototyping Fellowship applicants must propose a prototyping project unrelated to coursework to be completed over the course of the fellowship period. A review of the proposed case will be part of the fellowship applicant selection process. Applicants are encouraged to consult with the Lab Directors (jvolcy@spelman.edu, jholme15@spelman.edu, pthomp14@spelman.edu) about suitable business cases and prototypes prior to applying. Progress on the prototype is subject to milestone deliverables and regular check-ins. For student teams, the roles and contributions of each team member needs to be clearly defined. Upon completing the fellowship,

5. Eligibility

All current Spelman students are eligible to apply. However, you must be present on campus for both semesters during your fellowship year.

6. Application

Fellowship applications for the 2024-25 academic year are due at 11:59pm on September 20, 2024. Submit your application through the Innovation Lab Fellowship Application Portal. Awardees will be notified by September 25. A kickoff meeting will be scheduled immediately after on September 26.

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