Student academic performance has far-reaching implications, such as lifetime earnings potential, that are beyond the immediate impact it may have on any individual student (Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2019). Colleges and universities also have a shared interest in the retention of their students as a poor reputation can depress enrollment and tarnish their brand. Public institutions have an especially large incentive for student success as many state and federal funding opportunities consider student retention and performance when allocating taxpayer dollars (Li, 2018). To assist in the mutual desire for students to succeed, the Calm Connection start-up venture formed with the goal of seamlessly integrating biofeedback therapy with a student’s unique education needs. Forming the foundation of the resulting Calm Connection app is software patented by NASA which allows for the collection and manipulation of biofeedback monitoring data on mobile devices with distinguishing features such as geolocation. For students, one of the largest barriers to effective learning is issues of focus and information retention, whether due to problems at home, conditions such as ADHD, or the high prevalence of test anxiety among students (Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health et al., 2012). The repeated use of biofeedback therapy trains students to overcome these focus issues and works in conjunction with our app’s study aid and scheduling ability (Henriques et al., 2011). Among those surveyed and participants in follow-up focus groups, the Calm Connection app and its use of biofeedback monitoring has generated much interest and documented traction.

When examining the average college campus, it becomes obvious that students feel rushed from one place to another as they try to participate in class, clubs, and extracurricular activities. One way that students can feel more comfortable and relaxed around campus is to introduce the aspect of gaming. Studies show that “Moderate videogame play has been found to contribute to emotional stability” (Jones, 2014). This demonstrates that the stress of college can be mitigated by introducing the ability to interact with video games. This same concept has been applied in the workplace, where studies have shown that “Gaming principles such as challenges, competition, rewards and personalization keep employees engaged and learning” (Clark, 2020). This means that if we manage to gamify the college experience, students will be more engaged which will increase and stabilize the retention rate of colleges which utilize this type of experience. Gaming allows students to connect with their peers in a casual environment while also allowing them to find resources around campus and find new places to eat and relax. We plan to gamify the college experience by introducing augmented reality in the form of an app. Augmented reality is “. . . a technology that combines virtual information with the real world” (Chen, 2019). College students will be able to utilize the resources and amenities available to them on campus while completing quests that help them within the application. This demonstrates the ability for video games to engage students using artificial tasks but real actions and experiences which help them feel more connected to campus. Our Founders Lab team has developed and tested an AR application that can be used to connect students with their campus and the resources available to them.

As the world becomes increasingly globally connected, more people than ever live away from their birth country. This means that more and more people will need to learn to adapt and integrate with new cultures and experiences. This can be a difficult process, because in their efforts to adapt, they might try to forget or abandon their previous culture in order to better assimilate to their new home. In this Creative Project, I examine my own transnational journey as a Russian living in America. I wanted to see how my identity as a person linked by two very different places has shaped who I am and what I want to be. Now that I am finishing college, how will my Russianness shape my possibilities in the future? In order to start this reflective process, I read 10 transitional novels to gain a sense of how other Russians processed their lives in America. I then used the insights I gained from these texts to design a set of questions that I asked myself and two other people, both with backgrounds that were similar to my own. Based on these discussions, I gained a greater appreciation for how my Russianness could be a real strength as I chart my future path in life.

When you are sitting at the terminal waiting for your flight or taking the bus to get to work, have you ever thought about who used your seat last? More importantly, have you ever thought about the last time that seat was cleaned? Sadly, it is uncertain to see if it was properly sanitized in the last hour, yesterday, in the last week, or even last month. Especially during these tough times, everyone wants to be assured that they are always in a safe and healthy environment. Through the Founders Lab, our team is collaborating with an engineering capstone team to bring automated seat cleaning technology into the market. This product is a custom-designed seat cover that is tear-resistant and provides a sanitary surface for anyone to sit on. When someone leaves the seat, a pressure sensor is triggered, and the cover is replaced with a secondary cover that was stored in a UV radiated container. The waterproof fabric and internal filters prevent spills and food crumbs from remaining when the user changes. The reason for bringing this product into the market is due to the unsanitary conditions in many high traffic areas. This technology can be implemented in public transportation, restaurants, sports stadiums, and much more. It will instantly improve the efficiency of sanitation for many businesses and keep a promise to its users that they will never bring something they sat on back home. #Safeseating

Students from the Founder’s Lab at ASU created Equalitree, a company whose main focus is bringing together fans, student-athletes, coaches, and executive staff. In developing the company, the founders looked at various data points from the NCAA about what is already being done to increase diversity and inclusion. After finding staggering statistics about the state of diversity, the founders began to create ‘Equalitree’. A consulting agency tackling diversity and inclusion. The goal is to increase diversity and inclusion within sports organizations through a series of educational events, social campaigns, and dialogues. In researching the effectiveness of this business model, the founders hosted a week of events. The first event was a dialogue, in which attendees were presented with statistics of diversity within college sports, what is being done on college campuses to bridge gaps and open dialogues, and even held a discussion. For the second event, the founders hosted Keynote Speaker, former NFL player L.J. Shelton, to speak on his experiences within college sports and the NFL. Overall, Equalitree received highly rated reviews and feedback from attendees about the events and the effectiveness.