IGNITE Schedule of Events

Image of You're Invited to IGNITE 2025 innovation showcase.

Monday, May 5

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Explore the Culinary Creation Lab: Hospitality in Action | College of Health and Human Sciences

Visit the Culinary Creation Lab (CCL) on the 4th floor of to observe a live pastry workshop.

Location: Room 3238

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM

Toying with Technologies | College of Health and Human Sciences

Come see how Natalie Nuno turned coding toys into lesson-planning sidekicks: Literacy with Scratch.

Location: Next to Room 2221

1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Mayor’s Workshop: Civic Hydrology Student Presentations | College of Design

Hear design and engineering students’ proposals for reimagining floor and drainage landscapes in Atlantic in southwest Iowa and Cedar Falls in northeast Iowa.

Location: Room 4202

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Exosuits, Battlebots, and SnowPlows | College of Engineering

You like robots? We build exosuits, fight robots, and create robots that PLOW! Come see the exciting work we do in the Robotics Club and get involved in our innovative projects!

Location: Basement Atrium

Tuesday, May 6

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM 

Toying with Technologies | College of Health and Human Sciences

Come see how Keira Olson and Anjali Kathikar turned coding toys into lesson-planning sidekicks: Science with Dash and Math with Osmo

Location: Next to Room 2221

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Santa Fe Boutique Hotel Design | College of Design

Six student teams from the College of Design unveil proposals to transform a historic Catholic school into a beautifully designed boutique hotel—showcasing design, vision, and skill.

Location: Stepatorium

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Cardinal Space Mining Club | College of Engineering

Explore space robotics with the Cardinal Space Mining Club! See our lunar mining rovers built for NASA’s Lunabotics Challenge, and enjoy the fun of driving mini RC robots in an interactive demonstration.

Location: Basement Atrium

4:10 PM – 5:30 PM

Start Something LAS Academy Showcase | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Celebrate our students’ first year in the academy as they showcase their entrepreneurial projects with posters and hands-on displays. Explore, ask questions, and get inspired!

Location: Room 1118 

Wednesday, May 7

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Borehole Monitoring | College of Engineering

Meet the borehole monitoring team working to improve clean water access in Ullo, Ghana. Through innovative design and local partnerships, they’re helping make safe, filtered water available across the community.

Location: Next to Room 2237

12:00 PM – 7:00 PM 

Toying with Technologies | College of Health and Human Sciences

Come see how EDUC 3700 students turned coding toys into lesson-planning sidekicks.

Location: Next to Room 2221 

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Electronics, Textiles, and 3D Printing Makerspace | Student Innovation Center

Catch a supervisor or student worker, and learn more about the Electronics, Textiles, and 3D Printing Makerspace to see all of the ways this space can be utilized for innovation!

Location: Room 2222

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Woods and Metals Makerspace | Student Innovation Center

Catch a supervisor or student worker, and learn more about the Woods and Metals Makerspace to see all of the ways this space can be utilized for innovation!

Location: Room 1211

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Digital Modeling and Visualization Makerspace | Student Innovation Center

Catch a supervisor or student worker, and learn more about the Digital Modeling and Visualization Makerspace to see all of the ways this space can be utilized for innovation!

Location: Room 2261

1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

CALS Ignite Open House | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

1.) Pathways Innovation and Leadership – How to join as a CALS student, purpose, and what leaderships skillsets program offers. 2.) When art meets science – Professor Dior Kelley – Artwork to reflect the them of “Crosspollinating Art and Science”. 3.) Culinary Bootcamp – Equips students for a healthier future – Teaching Professor Erica Beirman 4.) ISU Brewery/Winery – Innovative non-alcoholic beer/wine 5.) Ag Engineering – showcasing innovative ag engineering projects 6.) Wildlife Wonders – ISU Students create engaging lesson plans for elementary students – Tim Stewart

Location: Room 4227 and Room 4229

1:30 PM – 4:00 PM

Bio Design Challenge Presentations – Student Finalists Selection | College of Design

See five student teams present bold Bio Design Projects tackling today’s environmental challenges. One team will be selected to represent ISU at MoMA’s 2025 International Competition!

Location: Stepatorium

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM and 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Repeating Program) 

Graduate Engagement Leadership Committee (GELC) – Leadership Opportunities | Graduate College

Meet the inaugural GELC—grad students leading Spring 2025 Grad Mixer Wednesdays! Learn how they build connections and how you can grow your leadership while supporting the grad community.

Location: Room 1118

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Exosuits, Battlebots, and SnowPlows | College of Engineering

You like robots? We build exosuits, fight robots, and create robots that PLOW! Come see the exciting work we do in the Robotics Club and get involved in our innovative projects!

Location: Basement Atrium 

3:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Innovate at Iowa State: Student Showcase | Student Innovation Center

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Daily Innovations Showcase

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM: Lightning Talks

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Networking Reception

Location: Room 4250

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Made/Unmade in Iowa: Beyond Extraction | College of Design

Augment Reality Demonstration – explore a 3D scan of the built final project that will be installed at Harmony Farms through an augmented reality headset.

Location: First Floor East Wall Interior 

Thursday, May 8

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Three-Minute Thesis Competition: Presenter Showcase | Graduate College

Grad students present their research in just 3 minutes with one slide! Hear from 3MT competitors and a panel of past participants on communicating complex ideas to any audience.

Location: Room 1118

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM 

Borehole Monitoring | College of Engineering

Meet the borehole monitoring team working to improve clean water access in Ullo, Ghana. Through innovative design and local partnerships, they’re helping make safe, filtered water available across the community.

Location: Next to Room 2237

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM 

Toying with Technologies | College of Health and Human Sciences

Come see how EDUC 3700 students turned coding toys into lesson-planning sidekicks.

Location: Next to Room 2221

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Spin & Win: Discover Hospitality Management! | College of Health and Human Sciences

Discover unique hospitality management courses, engaging classes, and state-of-the-art facilities (Sparks Cafe, CCL, and Tearoom) and spin the prize wheel to win free drinks, cookies, or meal coupons for Sparks Café (SIC) or Tearoom (Mackay).

Location: Next to Room 1202

2:10 PM – 4:15 PM

Design Entrepreneurship Concept Showcase

Come see the innovative business plans and stunning posters created to showcase the students’ visionary projects and highlight their creative products, services and system designs!

Location: Room 4250 

2:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Make A Print – Take A Print

Stop by the Letterpress Lab for a fun make-a-print, take-a-print activity! Create a custom print inspired by Corita Kent’s “10 Rules” and take home your own piece of creativity.

Location: Room 1222

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Circular Textiles Workshop – Creating Natural Alternative Leathers | College of Health and Human Sciences

Join a hands-on workshop exploring sustainable fashion by processing used textiles into fiber, then transforming them into nonwoven textiles—the first step in creating a leather-alternative material.

Location: Room 1221

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM 

Entrepreneurship is for Everyone! | College of Business

Test your entrepreneurial spirit in this fun trivia game and discover how entrepreneurship opportunities are open to all majors at Iowa State! Join us for an engaging and informative experience.

Location: Room 3231

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Cardinal Space Mining Club | College of Engineering

Explore space robotics with the Cardinal Space Mining Club! See our lunar mining rovers built for NASA’s Lunabotics Challenge, and enjoy the fun of driving mini RC robots in an interactive demonstration.

Location: Basement Atrium

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Innovate 1858 Maker Market | College of Health and Human Sciences

Join us at Innovate 1858’s Spring 2025 Maker Market! Discover handmade creations, meet local makers, and get a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process. Don’t miss out on this exciting event!

Location: Room 1118 & Under Stepatorium 

5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Entrepreneurship in Human Sciences Showcase | College of Health and Human Sciences

Network with entrepreneurs and join students in the Entreprenuership in Human Sciences (AESHM 474) class and other College of Health and Human Sciences students as they promote their business proposals and business idea pitches.

Location: First Floor & Stepatorium 

5:30 PM – 8:00 PM

College of Engineering and Ivy College of Business Pitch Competition | College of Engineering

Come see 14 new products designed by the collaboration between Engineering 4300 and Marketing 4580 students. Watch these students pitch their new product prototypes to a experienced team of professional investors at our first joint competition open to the general public.

Location: 0022 Sukup Hall

Friday, May 9

1:10 PM – 5:00 PM

Student Design Proposals for The Strategic Air Command (SAC) Meseum

One Step Closer: Exploration Through Experiential Design created proposals to revitalize the museum’s engagement strategies, including designs for a hotel and conference center that complements the museum’s astronaut training and STEM simulations.

Location: 4250 

2:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Explore the Culinary Creation Lab: Hospitality in Action | College of Health and Human Sciences

Visit the Culinary Creation Lab (CCL) on the 4th floor of to observe a live pastry workshop.

Location: Room 3238

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Exosuits, Battlebots, and SnowPlows | College of Engineering

You like robots? We build exosuits, fight robots, and create robots that PLOW! Come see the exciting work we do in the Robotics Club and get involved in our innovative projects!

Location: Basement Atrium 

View Week-Long Displays

Discover the week-long displays happening at the Student Innovation Center during IGNITE 2025!