Virginia Tech to Receive Impact Innovations Award from Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society

In late January, the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI), housed within Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, was selected to receive the inaugural Impact Innovations Award from the Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS). The award will be presented April 28th at the 2020 ARIS Summit in Durham, North Carolina.

“The Impact Innovations Award recognizes recipients for work to ensure the societal impact of research and higher education through demonstrated leadership in the development and adoption of new approaches to public service, outreach and engagement,” says Susan Renoe, executive director of ARIS.

CENI supports educators, students and the community in integrative science, engineering, arts and design projects. Their projects include outreach events like the Virginia Tech Science Festival, which draws around 5,000 visitors each year, and the Instrument Maker Camp at Virginia Tech’s Moss Arts Center, where middle school students design, build, code and perform with their newly invented instruments. CENI’s Liaison Network connects with school systems and informal learning organizations such as museums to build a regional community of practice. To foster and measure impacts, CENI provides evaluation and grant support within the Virginia Tech community and in the region.