C3 Innovation in the Kraemer Family Library
About C3 Innovation
C3 Innovation is a hub of multidisciplinary collaboration that connects students, faculty, and the community to push the boundaries of discovery and practice. The outcomes of these collaborative efforts span community projects, learning modules, events, and traditional research.
Located at the Kraemer Family Library, in the heart of the UCCS campus, we empower participants with fellowship cohorts, media services, and funding opportunities to solve real-world challenges and drive growth in sectors like AI/cybersecurity, space, healthcare, the arts, community-programming, and beyond.
Upcoming Events and Activities
Featured Programs and Projects
“The C3 Faculty Fellows are showing what it means for UCCS to act as an innovation-driven public university,” said Seth M. Porter, Ph.D, former Dean of the Kraemer Family Library and Chief Innovation Officer in C3. “This first cohort is working on projects as varied as mapping assets with Southeast Colorado Springs to spark grassroots entrepreneurship, designing energy-efficient quantum AI models and helping students build resilience through life-design tools.”
This program provides mentorship, community, and applied experiences in research, innovation, and project management to a small-scale cohort of undergraduate and graduate students. Each student fellow receives $3,000 towards their project and educational goals, a Certificate of Completion, a Skill Badge, and recognition for completing their project at the Spring C3 Innovation Showcase.
Community & Industry Collaboration
The Data Center Infrasound Research and Education Lab is an interdisciplinary and community-engaged project just starting this Fall! Led by our Innovation Librarian & Assistant Professor, Hayley Blackburn, the initiative will build a public-access database and dashboard for live reporting on the soundscape of Colorado Springs. Specifically, the group will begin with the low-frequency acoustics near the planned Project Taurus Data Center on Garden of the Gods. The goal of the project is to monitor and research the soundscape and provide information on this emerging and understudied source of sound.
“Innovators do not wait for permission – they invent and create the future they want to see,” said Kwitek. “Invention and entrepreneurship have shaped my life. As a professor of innovation, I see firsthand how traditional degrees and established careers are outmoded. Students want to customize their education and build a bespoke life for themselves. Innovation is the gateway to these goals.”
Sparking innovation requires a flow of ideas, perspectives, and conversations into the community. We invite speakers and host events for the C3 participants and broader community.
Academic Aff-AI-rs Guide: Resources and Learning for LLMs in Education
We partnered with members of the campus AI Working Group to prepare thoughts and resources to support whatever choices you make for your learning outcomes and professional workflow regarding GenAI.
Thank you to Chuck Carter, Janice Thorpe, Greg Williams, and all the working group members who provide needed information for our community. You can check out more of the working group efforts at https://ai.uccs.edu/
Curiosity, Creativity, and Community.
C3 Innovation stands for Curiosity, Creativity, and Community—the essential elements for solving problems and delivering impactful solutions. Through hands-on projects and meaningful collaborations, we believe in turning observations into action and delivering on ideas.
C3 Innovation Fund
Gifts to C3 Innovation help support initiatives for the C3 Innovation.
"The C3 Faculty Fellows are showing what it means for UCCS to act as an innovation-driven public university. Each effort takes research and turns it outward, connecting scholarship with real problems and real people."
- Seth M. Porter, Ph.D
Dean of the Kraemer Family Library and Chief Innovation Officer.
"As you walk around campus, it’s easy to see that students are not engaging with each other regularly. Creating a welcoming and friendly environment will make students want to stay because a sterile one does not create community. Currently, I have three ideas in mind to contribute to enhancing the culture around human connections on campus to promote student success. The first is the 'Hello Habit,' the second is 'Shuttle Shenanigans,' and lastly 'Meaningful Mentors' all aimed at encouraging students to be on campus and creating a connection with another student."
- Patricia Witkowsky
College of Education
"I am working on a project to develop, design, and produce a health promotion-oriented card game to pre-school through 1st grade aged kiddos in community settings (think schools, libraries, and community centers). I've worked with health promotion students to create content that goes on cards, and now look to engage folks (ideally students or classes) in the design program to assist with creating better designs and images for the game."
- Joey Lee
Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences
News Feed
Contact and Learn More
If you'd like to learn more about the C3 Innovation and the exciting work happening, reach out to Ben Kwitek at bkwitek@uccs.edu or Tabby Farney at tfarney@uccs.edu