Meeting the challenges
Harvard University announced 18 student-led teams today as finalists in three deans’ innovation competitions focused on cultural entrepreneurship, health and life sciences, and urban design. Sponsored by the Office of the President and the Provost, the competitions drew 124 proposals from across 12 schools, each articulating a plan to tackle a pressing issue facing society. Hosted by the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-lab), the competitions, along with the President’s Challenge, give Harvard undergraduates, postdoctoral students, and clinical fellows an opportunity to create and develop solutions that have meaningful impact for people around the world. This is the second year the i-lab has hosted the deans’ challenges. The Cultural Entrepreneurship Challenge was created to bolster student activity in the nascent discipline. It was first run last year, offering resources from the competition’s co-chairs, Dean Nitin Nohria of Harvard Business School, Dean Diana Sorensen of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Silk Road...