Our Mission
The Innovation Committee works to improve MIT and broader community by establishing initiatives that increase opportunity, bridge gaps, and help students and community members build a better world.
Current Projects
Banana Lounge
100K bananas!
Located in room 26-110, the Banana Lounge is a newly renovated student social space dedicated to stress relief, collaboration, and community. Complete with complimentary fruit and coffee, Lego stations, and a napping area, this is the perfect place to study, catch up with friends, or simply decompress. Even better, we're open 24 hours!
Want to host a student event at the Banana Lounge? Submit a reservation below!
MIT’s Got Talent
In Fall 2020, the MIT’s Got Talent team hosted a virtual talent show on zoom with prizes raffled off to those who performed and attended! With over 100 participants, it was a huge success and brought together lots of members of the community. They’re looking forward to making it a regular event, as well as sharing their expertise with others who are looking to host a similar event.
Pendemic Pals
Goal: "Find people a penpal or two based on VIBES". The Pendemic Pals team worked during the fall to come up with a matching algorithm to connect mentors with mentees. Piloted in our team during the fall, they’re excited to support community building at MIT by using the process with other committees and student groups in the future!
Admin Collaborations
Spring 2020 Incomm Showcase
Members of our team worked closely with the administration (Kate Trimble, Office of Experiential Learning) to re-think student-admin collaborations. We've had a dozen meetings with faculty, administration, and staff across the MIT community to think of ways to improve collaboration in order to (1) improve MIT, and (2) allow students to develop leadership and project management skills that will be invaluable for their future.
Calendar
MIT needs a "centralized calendar for all things MIT"! We're surrounded by so many events and activities but it's a nightmare to know which ones are happening, and when! The existing MIT calendar doesn't integrate with student run events, and dormsp.am doesn't integrate well with institute and faculty events. The team worked with dormsp.am to start thinking how to create a centralized calendar and, especially during the pandemic, think about how to bring the whole MIT community together, virtually.
Hammocks
The Hammocks team worked on "creating a mock beach filled with hammocks for students to relax in". They ideated on how and where to install them on campus (including the Stud) and plan to test them out this Spring.
Recent Efforts Slideshow
Past Projects
2020 Summer Series
UA Innovation hosted a series where members met weekly over Summer 2020 to discuss a variety of topics: from improving student life in a virtual environment to restructuring our team.
MIT Piano Project
The MIT Piano Project by the Artsy team sought to “bring people together one note at a time” by decorating pianos and placing them all around campus for everyone to play and enjoy.
BetterMIT Innovation Week: FEBRUARY 12-19, 2018
The Innovation Committee hosted MIT’s first annual Innovation Week, a week-long program promoting innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship, and action for a better future. By inviting leaders in technology, science and society to share their ideas through talks and workshops, the Innovation Committee encourages students to take a stand and bring their ideas to the world.
BetterMIT Student Life Hackathon: FEBRUARY 17-18, 2018
Innovation Week concluded with a 24-hour hackathon celebrating student innovation, with a special emphasis on campus living and learning. Judges are leaders in their respective fields, and winning projects continue to receive support from on-campus funding initiatives such as Mind+Hand+Heart.
Improving Social Spaces on Campus
Much of the Innovation Committee's efforts are spent developing and improving space on campus for the community to meet, collaborate, learn, rest, or be inspired. Goals include retrofitting existing social spaces, redeveloping unused space for students' enjoyment, and traveling to corporate offices and public spaces that serve as inspiration.
Contact Us
Want to get involved? Contact us at ua-innovation.mit.edu to learn more!