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Inworks | CU Denver & CU Anschutz

College of Engineering, Design and Computing

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Why Inworks?

Inworks is an innovation initiative of the University of Colorado Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus. A home for creators, thinkers, designers, and makers, we’re a collaborative community of learners and leaders committed to solving humanity’s most pressing problems.

In our two state-of-the-art prototyping labs, we draw on expertise from many disciplines to synthesize unique solutions to real-world challenges. At Inworks, we learn and teach through making, but we don’t just make things – we make them matter.

At Inworks, we believe in four key ideals.


People collaborating at Inworks

Radical Interdisciplinarity

Collaborating with others might give you the key information you’re missing, but the real impact happens when diverse ways of thinking collide, giving rise to genuinely new ideas.

people collaborating in a space

Disruptive Innovation

Most innovations are incremental improvements to existing systems. A few innovations change the value proposition to such an extent that they disrupt an entire market.

people collaborating in a space

Design Thinking

Practicing this approach means developing solutions to complex problems using equal parts empathy and evidence, creativity and practicality to match human need with feasibility.

People collaborating at Inworks

Computational Thinking

It’s more than code. Computational thinking allows us to create human artifacts of every kind – structures, art, music, medicine, aircraft, entertainment, entire worlds of imagination.


Our Magnum Opus: Human-Centered Design + Innovation

A person sitting at a computer setup with technology surrounding them

 Laser Cutting,    Law & Policy,    Coding,    Data Science,    Game Design,    Synthetic Biology,    Ethical Design,    Innovation for the Developing World,    Company Creation,     Biotechnology


Human-Centered Design and Innovation [HCDI] offers a broad, interdisciplinary perspective that integrates design thinking with collaborative problem solving. As you move through the program, you’ll learn to create impactful solutions to important human challenges, while reaching across disciplines to tap into diverse skills, ideas, and mindsets.

 

What We Achieve Under Inworks

The Undergraduate Minor in Human-Centered Design + Innovation (MHCDI) is our flagship program. Students get the full multidisciplinary experience in a track designed to complement their own strengths. Students get flexibility to determine what that looks like, along with the guidance and feedback from Inworks staff.

Content covered:

  • 6 total inworks courses (including the latter two courses)
  • IWKS 2100/5100 - Human-Centered Design, Innovation and Prototyping
  • IWKS 4900/5900 - Capstone

How to enroll:

Step 1:

  • You’ll need to fill out the MHCDI Program Plan paperwork to be officially enrolled in our flagship program by downloading our PDF using the button below. After downloading the file, please fill out the PDF, and email it to katherine.goodman@ucdenver.edu.

Step 2:

  • CU students may enroll in Inworks courses through the CU Portal at passport.ucdenver.edu. Non-CU students will need to enroll as a non-degree seeking student through CU Denver admissions here.

The Graduate Certificate in Human-Centered Design + Innovation is our option for undergraduate students who want to get an basic understanding of design and innovation processes. Students get exposure to multidisciplinary areas of interest during their time in their undergraduate studies.

Content covered:

  • 3 Inworks courses total (including the two latter courses)
  • IWKS 2100/5100 - Human-Centered Design, Innovation and Prototyping
  • IWKS 4900/5900 - Capstone

How to enroll:

Step 1:

  • You’ll need to fill out the HCDI Undergraduate Certificate Program Plan paperwork to be officially enrolled in our flagship program by downloading our PDF using the button below. After downloading the file, please fill out the PDF, and email it to katherine.goodman@ucdenver.edu.

 

Step 2:

  • CU students may enroll in Inworks courses through the CU Portal at passport.ucdenver.edu. Non-CU students will need to enroll as a non-degree seeking student through CU Denver admissions here.

The Graduate Certificate in Human-Centered Design + Innovation is our option for graduate students who want to get an advanced introduction to design and innovation processes. Students get skills and talents to complement their graduate studies, and are able to flesh out their area of specialization.

Content covered:

  • 3 Inworks courses of your choice, though we recommend taking IWKS 2100/5100 (HCDI foundational course) and a capstone project as two of your three required courses.

How to enroll:

Step 1:

  • You’ll need to fill out the HCDI Graduate Certificate Program Plan paperwork to be officially enrolled in our flagship program by downloading our PDF using the button below. After downloading the file, please fill out the PDF, and email it to katherine.goodman@ucdenver.edu. 

 

Step 2: 

  • CU students may enroll in Inworks courses through the CU Portal at passport.ucdenver.edu. Non-CU students will need to enroll as a non-degree seeking student through CU Denver admissions here.
pdf
Undergrad Minor 7.25.22 (pdf)
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What We Do Under Inworks

Inworks offers many different courses filled with novel ideas and brings innovation to existing ones. We currently offer 25 multidisciplinary areas of study, which can be found on the CU Denver and Anschutz College of Engineering, Design and Computing website. 

Visit the Full Course List

 

 

How to enroll:

CU students may enroll in Inworks courses through the CU Portal at passport.ucdenver.edu. Non-CU students will need to enroll as a non-degree seeking student through CU Denver admissions here.

Our labs at our two locations are filled with state-of-the-art lathes, saws, 3D printers, virtual reality headsets, and much more. To use the labs - and equipment in it, you'll need to get certified in how to use the machines, tools, and spaces at CU Denver Downtown or the Anschutz Medical Campus. 

CU Denver Downtown Lab Access:

Step 1* (Required): Basic Lab Access

  • You'll need to take Basic Safety Training, which you can take anytime between 10am and 1pm, Monday through Thursday. 

Step 2* (Required for Equipment): Specific Equipment Certification

  • When you want to use a piece of equipment(even if you've used it before), or learn a new workflow or skill, you'll need to drop into the Teaching and Workshop hours at our lab. 

Open hours:

  • Once you've completed Basic Safety Training and are certified in the equipment you'd want to use (if any), you can use the lab anytime in our open hours. 

The complete list of our updated hours may be found under our stories and events blog, at the link below.

Inworks Hours (CU denver)

 

 

 

Anschutz Medical Campus Lab Access:

To use the spaces and equipment at the Anschutz Medical Campus, you'll need to reach out to inworks@cuanschutz.edu. 

Our expositions (which we call expos) are our in-house biannual showcase of our projects, skills, and technology. At our expos, we present, network, get involved, get exposure, and compete for awards which are given out each event. Expos are fair-style events where you and your team are encouraged to present novel and outside-the-box projects and bodies of work.

Learn more about Expos


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