It is with a good amount of soul-searching that I am announcing my departure from UIC at the end of May. As I transition out of the Executive Director role that I held for nearly 15 years, I am extremely proud of what the Innovation Center has accomplished in that time. Our achievements are a testament to the collaborative efforts of the staff and faculty who teach and work in our labs and classes, of the campus and corporate partners who trust us with their real-world challenges, and of the many students who participate in the revolutionary work that better prepares them for their careers.

The move under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research brings exciting new possibilities. The Innovation Center will look different from the way we look now, but this is a step in the right direction. Innovation is evolutionary, and with it comes new challenges to tackle, something we enjoy very much. 

Thank you to all our collaborators for the great work we created together. I am excited to see what new partners, novel solutions, and grand achievements the next phase of the Innovation Center will bring to UIC.

Photo credit: Noah Wangerin

Students worked quickly to translate the design brief into actionable and innovative design solutions for Ubicquia. 

Good things happen when students and professionals collaborate. For students, there is no better education than previewing post-academic practice. For professionals, academia offers fresh energy and perspective. The Innovation Center excels at making these collaborations possible.

On Saturday, February 21, eleven industrial design students (from sophomores to masters) gathered at the Innovation Center for a 12-hour Design Sprint with Claudio Ribeiro, Vice President of Design at Ubicquia. The brief was to adapt Ubicquia’s UbiHub, a public-safety device designed for contemporary streetlights, into a solution that integrates seamlessly with historic lamp posts.

Students considered form, installation, durability, and maintenance, developing 3D CAD models and renderings. The winning concept, “Ubiquad” by Ada Carter and Lizette Soto-Argueta, extended beyond the brief. Noticing banners on many historic lamps, Ada and Liz incorporated this element as an opportunity to justify the device’s outstretched form.

Facilitated by School of Design industrial design faculty Noah Wangerin, Clinical Assistant Professor, with support from Associate Professor Kimberlee Wilkens, and Clinical Assistant Professor TJ O’Keefe, the sprint reflects the School of Design and the Innovation Center’s commitment to professional, hands-on learning. Students left with real-world experience, new connections across cohorts, and stomachs full of coffee, donuts, and pizza. Ubicquia left happily surprised by the results and momentum in a new product category.

Photo credit: Andy Graham

Health Access Lab Team Members: 1st row, L to R: Joel Noble Maliekal, MaryRose Haley (Team Lead), Shivansh Amba, Iryna Filyk, Abdias Kpatcha, and Ian Aguilar. 2nd row, L to R: Om Patel, Ansh Gureja, Kimberlee Wilkens (Associate Professor and Team Lead), Harini Solaidurairaj, Kahnishga Solaidurairaj, Lavanya Vats, Sneha Sharma, Umaimah Siddiqui, Amaani Ziauddin, Himanshu Panchal, and Jada Standors (Team Lead).

The UIC Innovation Center launched the Health Access Lab (HAL) this spring, an interdisciplinary research and development initiative uniting undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines across campus with faculty and industry partner Apple. Their objective is to tackle critical challenges in health access here on campus, specifically through the lens of digital tools to improve how people navigate and experience care, particularly within under-resourced populations.

As part of their work, all students will be Swift-certified in the Sandbox Lab, building in-demand technical skills alongside their roles as researchers. They are simultaneously trained in human-centered design and research methods, learn to conduct interviews, synthesize insights, and uncover opportunities for potential systems-level change.

Equipped with Apple technologies, including MacBooks and other devices, teams move from research to development by transforming insights into functional digital prototypes. HAL reflects the Innovation Center’s commitment to hands-on, applied learning to prepare students to thoughtfully contribute to real-world health challenges.

Photo credit: Andy Graham

Giri Balasubramanian and Spencer Melgreen test the device prototype under a microscope in the ORBIT Lab.

In collaboration with Dr. Pete Setabutr and Dr. Sasha Hubschman of the Ophthalmology Department at the College of Medicine, the ORBIT Lab is developing a surgical device to improve the efficiency of the mullerectomy procedure. A mullerectomy is a commonly performed surgical procedure for correcting ptosis, or drooping, of the upper eyelid. The current procedure requires multiple sutures, scalpels, and a specialized tool called a Putterman clamp.

The proposed device our group has developed consolidates several instruments and procedural steps into a single integrated system, which streamlines the surgical workflow and reduces procedural time.

To guide the mechanical design of the device, Project Lead Andy Graham, Research Associate Spencer Melgreen (Industrial Design), and Visiting Lecturer Giri Balasubramanian (Biomedical Engineering), reviewed existing consumer and medical instruments to identify effective clamping and cutting mechanisms. These references informed the initial concept, which was refined through rapid prototyping using additive manufacturing. A final prototype was produced using a combination of 3D printing, CNC machining, and manual metal fabrication. Next steps include a user study conducted with clinicians performing part of the mullerectomy procedure on porcine eyes in a benchtop setting. This will allow ORBIT lab researchers to evaluate the efficacy and usability of the device.

As the spring semester comes to a close, we wish all students the best of luck with finals and graduation. Thank you for a year of creativity, collaboration, and innovation.

We look forward to seeing what you accomplish next! Connect with us on LinkedIn to follow our summer projects and upcoming opportunities.