Presidential Award for Innovation
Innovation demands daring.
Everyday on our Boise State campus, students, faculty and staff are working to solve problems in imaginative, new ways. This innovation mindset, what we call blue turf thinking, is evident in the everyday innovations you see all over campus–creative efforts that lead to the success and well-being of our campus community and beyond. We strive to nurture a culture where every member of our Boise State community is empowered to be innovative. The nominees and winners of the Presidential Innovation Awards exemplify that culture in ways both large and small, and they inspire all of us to proudly innovate into the future.
— Dr. Marlene Tromp, President
Jared Talley
2024 Winner | Faculty
Talley’s research focuses on community collaboration in the environmental governance of the American West. He received a Resource Nexus for Sustainability Grand Challenge award this year. This interdisciplinary initiative elevates societally relevant questions around finite and critical resources, sustainability and community needs. He led the team that focused on regenerative ranching and carbon project potential in Idaho, seeking to better understand how diverse communities relate to the land and how this relationship poses both obstacles and opportunities for collaboration and governance.
Kristin Olson, Ashley Nichols, Andy Giacomazzi
2024 Winners | Staff
This staff-faculty trio created Conflict Support Services, an impactful experiential learning opportunity that helps students learn to solve problems. Through this program, Boise State students, primarily those who live in student housing, connect with peers trained in the Conflict Management Program who provide conflict coaching, facilitate conversations and mediate disputes. Students receiving the services are introduced to a field of study and opportunities for earning a certificate, if they are interested.
Makena Chase
2024 Winner | Student
Chase single-handedly founded the Special Olympics Club at Boise State. She pioneered this path for student involvement by reaching out to deans, publishers, student clubs, faculty organizations and other groups to inform students of the opportunity. She also raised almost $500 for the initiative during Bronco Giving Day. This is just the beginning of the positive impact this organization will have.
2023 Presidential Innovation Award Winners
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Kathleen Araújo
Faculty Winner
Dr. Kathleen Araújo, Director of the Energy Policy Institute in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, created a unique, cross-institutional graduate certificate program that is the first of its kind, the Graduate Certificate Program in Nuclear Safeguards and Security. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of nuclear safeguards and security, as well as the policy and regulatory frameworks that govern these areas.
Dr. Kathleen Araújo, Director of the Energy Policy Institute in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, created a unique, cross-institutional graduate certificate program that is the first of its kind, the Graduate Certificate Program in Nuclear Safeguards and Security. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of nuclear safeguards and security, as well as the policy and regulatory frameworks that govern these areas.
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Griff Allen
Staff Winner
Griff Allen, the Engineering Innovation Studio Manager, is a key player in providing a welcoming environment for experiential learning among students at Boise State University. Allen is responsible for the creation and development of the EIS, originally designed for Mechanical Engineering students, now also serving Civil Engineering and Engineering+. With his innovative thinking, Allen has built an environment for student collaboration and intentional design that has grown into a welcoming, inclusive, and dynamic space.
Griff Allen, the Engineering Innovation Studio Manager, is a key player in providing a welcoming environment for experiential learning among students at Boise State University. Allen is responsible for the creation and development of the EIS, originally designed for Mechanical Engineering students, now also serving Civil Engineering and Engineering+. With his innovative thinking, Allen has built an environment for student collaboration and intentional design that has grown into a welcoming, inclusive, and dynamic space.
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Mustafa Hakeem
Student Winner
Mustafa Hakeem, an honors student in Business at Boise State University, revived the Business Professionals of America club after it had been inactive since 2019 due to a lack of leadership. Hakeem saw the potential in the club, one of the only business clubs at Boise State with national recognition, and worked tirelessly to resurrect it. Through his leadership skills and dedication, Hakeem was able to bring in passionate members and secure funding for the club’s activities, ultimately leading to its success.
Mustafa Hakeem, an honors student in Business at Boise State University, revived the Business Professionals of America club after it had been inactive since 2019 due to a lack of leadership. Hakeem saw the potential in the club, one of the only business clubs at Boise State with national recognition, and worked tirelessly to resurrect it. Through his leadership skills and dedication, Hakeem was able to bring in passionate members and secure funding for the club’s activities, ultimately leading to its success.
2024 Nominations
The Presidential Innovation Awards at Boise State recognize excellence in innovation from across the Boise State campus. Awards celebrate creating a culture of innovation, imaginative approaches to problem-solving, and evidence of experimentation and growth mindset. Know someone whose creative efforts should be recognized?
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