The Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora was named a winner of a Chicago Innovation Award for its new innovation center, IN2.
The winners were announced at Chicago’s Harris Theater on Monday, according to a press release about the awards. The Chicago Innovation Awards, now in its 16th year, is designed to provide recognition of the most innovative new products or services brought to market or to public service each year, according to the release.
The IN2 Steve and Jamie Chen Center for Innovation & Inquiry at IMSA raised $2 million in private funds from alumni, corporations, foundations and friends, school officials said.
“Our vision is to create a model for U.S. education that empowers young people to transform their ideas into reality and into solutions to the complex social challenges of our time through entrepreneurship and innovation,” explains IMSA President Jose Torres in the release.
IN2 collaborates with corporate partners that include British Petroleum, ComEd, Caterpillar, First National Bank, and organizations such as Illinois Computing Educators, school officials said. Additionally, it has partnerships with Illinois higher education including Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern and the University of Illinois.
Community members with specific areas of expertise assist students and community startups in idea development and guide them to take their concept to the next level, according to the release.
