CAREER: From Risk Aversion to Innovation: Transforming the Concept Selection Process to Maximize Product Success

这个学院早期职业发展（Career）奖的研究目标是通过概念选择过程，对影响过滤和促进创意想法的因素进行理论理解。三项研究任务有助于实现这一目标。首先，对风险规避和创新之间的基本关系的理解正在通过工程设计专业学生和行业专业人士的实验调查得到发展。其次，评估概念创造力的新方法正在被开发和测试，以了解它们对在概念选择过程中促进创造性想法过滤的影响。第三，正在进行实质性和实证研究，以验证概念选择方法在通过工程设计课程最大化创新潜力方面的效用。如果成功，这项研究的结果将通过开发一个研究风险、创新和概念选择之间关系的理论框架，推动工程设计领域的发展。设计师将在整个设计过程中提供必要的工具来识别和促进创造性的想法。这些设计工具还将使公司发展可持续的创新能力。这项研究将对本科生产生直接影响，为他们提供概念选择工具和一系列基于网络的模块，用于基于项目的设计课程。其他活动，包括针对美国和摩洛哥的本科生和研究生妇女的设计培训计划，以及K-12工程创新者外展计划，将向公众、工程行业和学术界传播成果。

The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award is to develop a theoretical understanding of the factors that influence the filtering and promotion of creative ideas through the concept selection process. Three research tasks contribute to achieving this objective. First, an understanding of the fundamental relationship between risk aversion and innovation is being developed through experimental investigations with engineering design students and industry professionals. Second, novel methods for assessing concept creativity are being developed and tested for their impact on the promotion of filtering of creative ideas during the concept selection process. Third, substantive and empirical studies are being conducted to validate the utility of concept selection methods for maximizing the potential for innovation through engineering design courses.If successful, the results of this research will advance the field of engineering design by developing a theoretical framework for research that investigates the relationship between risk, innovation and concept selection. Designers will be provided with the tools necessary to identify and promote creative ideas throughout the design process. These design tools will also allow companies to develop a sustainable innovation capacity. This research will have an immediate impact on undergraduate students by providing them with concept selection tools and a series of web-based modules to be used in project-based design courses. Other activities, including a design training program geared at undergraduate and graduate women in the US and Morocco, and a K-12 EngInn (Engineering Innovators) outreach program, will disseminate the results to the public, engineering industry, and academia.