• DMACC Boone Campus Students Michaela Beck, Originally from Sioux Falls, SD and Now Living in Ames, and Allison Arnold from Ogden are Finalists Advancing to Four-Day Innovation Boot Camp in Washington, D.C.
• The Name of the DMACC Boone Campus Team is “Girls with Grit”
•  Beck and Arnold will be Competing for Cash Prizes in the Innovation Boot Camp

BOONE, Iowa—DMACC is one of 12 finalist teams that will advance to the next phase of the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC), which is sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Science Foundation.

DMACC Boone Campus students Michaela Beck, originally from Sioux Falls, SD and now living in Ames, and Allison Arnold from Ogden, are finalists heading to an Innovation Boot Camp June 13-16 in Washington, D.C. The name of their team is “Girls with Grit.”  DMACC Boone Campus Math and Physics Professor and Team Mentor Dr. Nancy Woods will accompany the students to Washington, D.C.

The CCIC is a national competition where community college student teams, working with a faculty or administrator team mentor, use science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to innovate solutions to real-world problems. Finalists attend an Innovation Boot Camp to share their ideas with experts and practitioners in the field and compete for cash prizes.

This Boot Camp will give the team the opportunity to be coached in building communication and entrepreneurial skills relevant to supporting innovation in both the private and public sectors. The sessions will include information applicable to commercializing ideas, using technology for social applications, communicating with stakeholders, refining a pitch, and more.

“Congratulations to both Alison and Michaela for their very hard work,” Dr. Nancy Woods said. “These two women were winners at the Fall 2021 Iowa State University (ISU) Innovation Challenge, too.  Although they ‘changed up’ their ideas and further developed their innovation concept from their ISU entry, they clearly are on the right path here.”

To learn more, visit www.aaccinnovationchallenge.com.

DMACC Boone Campus students Michaela Beck (left), originally from Sioux Falls, SD and now living in Ames, and Allison Arnold from Ogden are finalists advancing to four-day Innovation Boot Camp in Washington, D.C. The name of the DMACC Boone Campus team is “Girls with Grit.”