Annual Global Innovation Challenge
Global Innovation Challenge 2016
The annual Global Innovation Challenge is a competition and course open to all undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and nontraditional students focused on developing solutions to some of the major, unsolved global health challenges around the world. For one week, participants engage in team-building and creative problem-solving activities with international experts and UB faculty.
The 2020 Global Innovation Challenge focused on how we communicate complex issues, like how, and with whom, should we share new genetic and genomic research and information, how we reveal the hidden dangers of pollutants in our food, homes, and neighborhoods, and how we ethically persuade people to heed warnings of imminent threats, such as epidemics and extreme weather events. Communicating these complex issues, while separating fact from fiction, is challenging. Cultural differences, literacy levels, political motivations, and new media platforms complicate this further. The public is uncertain whom and what to believe.
The nature of the challenge called for innovative, novel ideas from UB students across all disciplines. At the 2020 Global Innovation Challenge, students:
- earned spring course credit while having fun and making an impact
- tackled complex issues like climate change, environmental exposure, and genomics
- partnered with students, faculty, and international experts across disciplines
- learned about the science of science communication
- cultivated creative problem-solving abilities
- competed for funding to further ideas
The GIC is co-organized by the Community for Global Health Equity, faculty fellows Drs. Katarzyna Kordas and Jennifer Surtees, Blackstone Launchpad, and UB Sustainability.
Program Materials
Many thanks to our Sponsors
Housing Options
Returning UB students may apply for "break housing", indicating the dates they will need to move in early before spring semester begins. There is no additional cost to the students. The "break housing" application opens in December. More information and the application to apply can be found on the Campus Living website.
New UB students may be eligible for "early arrival" housing. Please contact Jessica Scates for more information.
Students from other universities must make housing arrangements for their time in Buffalo. Please reach out to us if you have questions about what options are available to you.
