Digital Commons Network^™

The Sci – Dot: A New Dimension Of Scientific Innovation For Persons With Blv., Ashley N. Nashleanas Ph.D.

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Throughout history, students with blindness and low vision (BLV) have been vastly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines with regards to both K-12 education and post-secondary endeavors (Burgstahler, 1994; Supalo, 2010). This underrepresentation of students with BLV in STEM is due to limitations in technology that allow them to access data in a laboratory setting, thus inhibiting their abilities to partake actively in data acquisition with their peers. The Sci-Dot, a multiline, refreshable braille and tactile graphics display capable of logging scientific data in real time with the support of Vernier Science Education’s (VSE) Go-Direct Bluetooth sensors, …

Making Sustainability A Core Competency: Consumer Response To Sustainable Innovative Products, Clyde Eiríkur Hull, Jennifer D. Russell, Monika Kukar-Kinney

Articles

Research suggests that sustainability may not be sufficient to yield a competitive advantage. Building on the resource-based view, this research evaluates three questions: (1) Can using sustainability as a differentiator lead to consumers choosing sustainable products? (2) Does product sustainability appeal more to environmentally concerned consumers? (3) Does product sustainability appeal more when paired with innovation? To test the hypotheses, an online survey of 344 US respondents was conducted. Consumers were given a hypothetical budget for an office chair and asked to choose between two products at a time. Hypotheses were tested with frequency and Chisquare tests and logistic regression. …

Towards A Carbon-Neutral City By 2035: Innovative Transformation Of Domestic Solid Waste Collection And Recovery Services In Sharjah, Basem Abu Sneineh

Theses

This study quantifies the impact of an identified major step in the process of significant contribution to the transformation of Sharjah into a carbon-neutral city by the year 2035. This identified step applies to the concept of waste segregation at the residential sector source which means that the waste generators, i.e. Sharjah residents, are required to segregate the waste that they generate in their houses while disposing it. The march towards a carbon neutral city means driving the carbon dioxide emissions of the city to reach net-zero. This requires the UAE adopt this concept to ensure that the emitted amount …

Impact Of The Emergency Use Authorization On Ventilator Innovation, Krista Stanislow

Theses

Innovation in the medical device industry is crucial to continuously improve the health and wellbeing of society. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medical devices on the market while balancing the need for continuous innovation. One way the FDA has tried to support innovation is through the development of the 510(k) pathway, which does not require clinical testing as the safety of the device is determined based on a predicate device. Many companies choose to develop products that can obtain approval through the 510(k) pathway. While the 510(k) pathway is …

Fda Regulation Impact On Early Stage Medical Device Innovation In Academia, Keyana Fariello

Theses

The commercialization of medical products at the university level is a multilayered and challenging process. One barrier to commercialization is the difficulty of meeting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory requirements. Regulations and standards are undoubtedly necessary to maintain the highest product safety levels, but it creates many obstacles. This paper will analyze how researchers involved with early-stage medical device innovation in a university setting deal with FDA compliance issues and the implications of this engagement for innovation. I conducted an exploratory case study of ten medical product development projects at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Overall, I found …

Assessing The Status Of Autonomous Vehicles Innovation Using Patent Data, Mamy Traore

Theses

The transportation industry is undergoing an unprecedented revolution as researchers in the field expect the adoption of autonomous vehicles (AV) in a not-too-distant future. Even though there is no fully automated vehicle on the road currently, several features of driver’s assistance (e.g., lane departure warning, rear cameras, blind-spot warning) are integrated into most of the recent vehicles. It is therefore fundamental for industry leaders and policymakers to comprehend the state-of-the-art of AV innovation. The main purpose of this study is to assess the current status of AV innovations in the U.S. market. My analysis, based on more than 2,000 patents …

Is Innovative Auditory Technology Here To Stay, Krish Galani

Student Work

Innovation is often seen as a necessary constant throughout history, as it is our survival mechanism, evolving from humanity’s inherent ignorance/flaws. However, as society pushes for innovation at an ever-increasing rate, should we be concerned about its implications on the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) in the United States? The DHH has been quite sensitive to this surplus of innovation, with an increasing amount of ‘auditory aid related’ technologies being marketed every day. What does this mean for deaf culture? More importantly, how will these innovations shape the future of deaf behavior and linguistics?

Biomimicry: A Source For Architectural Innovation In Existing Buildings, Thomas Button

Theses

Today designers, manufacturers and industries are seeking to find sustainable solutions to improve design processes and products that will reduce their environmental impacts. However, they often develop architecture in counterproductive ways by investing time and resources into unproven novel solutions. Yet, there are often better solutions, through biomimicry, that identify successful adaptations found in the natural environment and in biology that can serve to better inform design solutions. Through an in depth investigation of biomimicry, several design strategies are identified, and through a selective process, a few select examples are applied to a renovation of an existing headquarters for the …

Impact Of Innovation Variables On Quality Of Pharmaceutical Products Packaging, Solmaz Sadat Naghavi Alhosseini, Habibollah Danai, Mehdi Nassaji Kamrani

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Emergence of new demands in consumers due to changes in consumption habits and patterns and also increased awareness of health issues among consumers can pose the need to provide new and innovative packaging. Innovation in packaging, in addition to product introduction, has been the main factor to differentiate product from competitors' offerings, and has played an important role in marketing, whilst is considered as the main selling factor. On the other hand, given the economic conditions today, quality is a crucial component in the packaging and appears to be a prerequisite for entering the labor market.

This study aimed to …

Toward A New Understanding Of Creative Dynamics: From One-Size-Fits-All Models To Multiple And Dynamic Forms Of Creativity, Stephen Cummings, Chris Bilton, Dt Ogilvie

Articles

This article proposes an alternative to a managerial "best practice" approach to creativity based on the notion of creativity as a singular concept. Our alternative draws on three fundamental ideas that are emerging in different pockets of the creativity literature in a way that can be readily conceptualized and applied in practice. The first idea is that creativity is really about "creativities", or a cluster of different and discrete qualities that can be combined to suit the context in which they operate. The second is that creativity is not static: it is about "creativitying", or the action and the practice …

Measuring And Promoting (R&D) Expenditure In Manufacturing Companies Of High-Tech Healthcare Products In The Dominican Republic, Joshua R. Guzmán, César Encarnación

Theses

Globally, R&D is recognized as an important driver of economic and social progress. In 2013, the Dominican Republic invested only 0.3% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in R&D expenditure, which is a level of investment equivalent to half the Latin American average. The globalization process has allowed many corporations to internationalize their value chain including R&D activities, which represents an extraordinary opportunity for a developing country as the Dominican Republic to attract FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) as a way to increase innovation process related to R&D activities. This research project investigates whether R&D expenses have an effect on the profit, …

Innovation And Ngos, Stephen Luxmore, Clyde Hull

Articles

Innovations that antagonize non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will face significantly greater challenges than those that do not. The impact of non-governmental organizations on the commercialization of new technology is evolving from the more traditional indirect approach of lobbying governments. The new NGO approach is to pursue private politics, in which the NGO seeks to exert direct influence over entrepreneurial companies that commercialize radical new technology. The authors use the industry study approach to explore how this new NGO role affects innovation. They present a theoretical framework that encompasses the emerging role of NGOs and set out the practical managerial implications that …

Service Innovation Framework, John Timmerman

Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify critical success factors and important approaches that service companies can utilize in the design of products, services, and programs. It is common for service companies to have design teams that are responsible for facilitating the innovation process. However, these design teams might not benefit from a systematic training and knowledge transfer process. Therefore, it is important to translate critical success factors and important approaches into a model that will serve as a common framework for both training and facilitating the innovation process. Both qualitative and quantitative research approaches were utilized in this …

Major Factors Affecting The Growth Of Emerging Consulting Companies In Kosovo : [Presentation Given May 27, 2010], Leke Zogaj

Theses

There are many problems and challenges confronting small consulting companies in Kosovo today. The major factors involved form the basis of the problem that is described in this proposal. The Kosovo market has its unique characteristics that local companies are having to face as well as general factors affecting companies all around the world. These factors are listed below a) General Factors, b) East Europe Factors, and c) Kosovo specific Factors: A) General Factors 1) Technology 2) Globalization 3) Innovations 4) Fast changing markets B) East Europe Factors 1) Post communist market 2) Privatization 3) Business Processes C) Kosovo Specific …

Weee And Rohs: Are They Spurring Innovation Among Small And Medium Sized Electronics Businesses In The U.S.?, Frances L. Cabrera

Theses

Eight small businesses in the electronics industry from Rochester, NY were studied in order to determine whether the European Union’s directives, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directives (RoHS) are spurring innovation in the US. Innovation was defined as any change in the design and manufacturing of the products, in the internal organizational structure and management of the business, or in the market strategies pursued by the small businesses that created a benefit beyond RoHS and WEEE compliance. Because WEEE and RoHS are based upon extended producer responsibility principles, this innovation would complement the findings …

Innovation-Supportive Culture: The Impact Of Organizational Values On Process Innovation, Shalini Khazanchi, Marianne Lewis, Kenneth Boyer

Articles

For managers, innovation is vital, but paradoxical, requiring flexibility and empowerment, as well as control and efficiency. Increasingly, studies stress organizational culture as a key to managing innovation. Yet innovation-supportive culture remains an intricate and amorphous phenomenon. In response, we explore how organizational values – a foundational building block of culture – impact a particular process innovation, the implementation of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT). To unpack this scarcely studied construct, we examine three-dimensions of organizational values: value profiles, value congruence and value– practice interactions.

Innovation In Non-Profit And For-Profit Organizations: Visionary, Strategic, And Financial Considerations, Clyde Hull, Brian Lio

Articles

Innovation has been widely studied in the context of for-profit organizations. Less attention has been paid in business literature to innovation in non-profit organizations. This paper lays out a model for comparison and then explores the differnce between the two types of organizations. Using these data, predictions are made as to how these differences between the two types of innovative behavior of non-profit organizations and theories are proposed about the methods of innovation most suited to a non-profit organization. A theory model is presented which incorporates differences in vision, in strategic constraints, and in financial constraints.

Occupational Health & Safety Innovations In The Hazardous Waste Remediation Industry, Brian Hansen

Theses

As the environmental technology aspects of hazardous waste remediation projects are becoming more innovative, the occupational health and safety aspects associated with these projects have not kept pace. This study was designed to examine a single, long-term remediation project's experiences with this dilemma. Although the project employed a number of traditional strategies to abate occupational health and safety hazards through most of its course, innovations concerning chemical protective clothing, air monitoring/sampling equipment, and the management of physical hazards at the last and perhaps most dangerous site lead to some interesting results. These results suggest that innovative yet practical solutions exist …

Versatile Power Supply, Ian Cunningham

Theses

Tetherless is a concept for the elimination of constraints from electrical power delivery systems. Three separate solutions are presented in a progression of increasing technology. Each stage is able to address and refine more than the previous one through foreseeable technological advancements. The main objective of the concept is to provide the user with a more flexible, adaptable, and versatile interior environment. The solutions allow control by the individual, not the system, of how and where electricity is to be used. The problems and constraints of existing systems can be broken down into three categories. First is the limitation of …