The Campaign: PILLAR 4 Innovation Accelerator (IA)

Pillar 4

We will build and sustain a dedicated platform for launching bold new ideas. The IA fuels our faculty-led laboratories in STEM education and transformative partnerships, which allows Harvey Mudd to develop new and novel frameworks to guide these fields—from data science and AI to health technologies and climate.

STEM Education. Evolved.

The Innovation Accelerator (IA) has quickly become Harvey Mudd’s most dynamic platform for discovery. It is a unifying magnet that brings together faculty and staff from across disciplines to imagine new possibilities for the future of STEM education. In its first year alone, the IA moved projects from a “bold idea” to a “successful pilot,” culminating in an Innovation Showcase that proved Harvey Mudd is ready to lead. The IA platform is a proven mechanism ready for scale. Your philanthropy is an investment that drives the future of STEM education.

As a key component of Harvey Mudd’s strategic planning goal on Innovative Education, the College envisions the Innovation Accelerator as a long-term center of excellence that cultivates and drives forward-thinking possibilities for Harvey Mudd while also fostering philanthropic partnerships to propel us into the future.

For the inaugural 2024–2025 Innovation Accelerator initiative, faculty and staff submitted 21 proposals, and the College selected six proposals to advance to the next stage. The six proposal teams presented their projects to the community and external  stakeholders at the College’s first Innovation Showcase on April 4, 2025. Ultimately, three projects were selected to receive funding, and the teams are putting plans into action as IA Laboratories.

In fall 2025, the College announced a new call for proposals from faculty for an IA Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and an IA Lab for Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering. These new labs are imagined to explore both the technical frontiers of artificial intelligence and the human dimensions of its impact on society and to spark new ideas that push our institutional definition of interdisciplinary research and teaching. 

Supports

Strategic Plan Goal 1: Innovative Education
Strategic Plan Goal 2: Transformative Partnerships
Strategic Plan Goal 3: An Evolving Institution
Strategic Plan Goal 4: A Thriving Community

Established IA Labs

Data Science and Social Impact Lab

Empowering students to use data as a force for good, this lab brings together researchers and community partners to co-create solutions in areas like climate, health and education. Through collaboration across disciplines, students learn how data-driven insights can lead to lasting social change. Launched in 2025.

Learn more about key initiatives including: 

Emerging Health Technologies Lab

Blending engineering, biology, and innovation, this lab opens new pathways for students to explore biomedical technology and health solutions. By connecting hands-on research with alumni mentorship and industry partnerships, students help shape the future of healthcare innovation. Launched in 2025.

Learn more about key initiatives including: 

Thriving in STEM Lab

Focused on student success, this lab strengthens Harvey Mudd’s academic experience through inclusive learning communities and new academic support. Faculty and students collaborate to design strategies that help every Mudder thrive. Launched in 2025.

Learn more about key initiatives including: 

Emerging AI Labs

IA Lab for Artificial Intelligence 

The IA Lab for AI explores the technical frontiers and human dimensions of a future where human and machine intelligence co-exist. Three proposals have been selected for seed-stage funding and include: 

The IA Lab for Entrepreneurship

This lab will provide the early-stage capital and structured validation needed to establish a high-efficiency pathway for STEM-driven startups. Learn how you can support this initiative by emailing VP for Advancement Jennifer Eccles at jeccles@hmc.edu.

IA Lab for Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering

The IA Lab for ISE fosters shared interdisciplinary research in vital themes such as renewable energy, clean water, and revolutionary materials by bridging the methodologies of multiple STEM fields. Recently, 38 individual faculty members representing every academic department on campus, collaborated to submit seven proposals as part of the IA Lab for ISE’s Call for Proposals. Recipients for the initial set of seed funding will be announced in the coming weeks.