The Opioid Crisis and Public Opinion: How Advocacy Can Improve Public Health

with Community Health Partnership (CHP)

This research project examined three public health interventions related to the opioid crisis and identified viable advocacy strategies for local use.

Seamlessly Integrating New Affordable Housing Into a Neighborhood Community

Almost 300 units of attainable housing will be built in the coming months. How can this development be more than a “cookie cutter” addition to an already-thriving neighborhood?

Workplace Excellence: Sustainable, Dynamic Mentorship for Female-Identifying Employees

with Colorado College ITS Department

This project is researching the most effective mentorship models nationwide to inform the development of a high-impact mentorship program on Colorado College’s campus.

State of Nonprofits in the Pike Place Region

with Pikes Peak Community Foundation, Spur Philanthropy, and the RNR Foundation

This survey research will provide an objective snapshot of how the Pikes Peak Region’s many nonprofit and mission-driven organizations are responding to COVID-19.

Public Trust and Public Safety

with Global Ideas Accelerator

This project, one of two being pursued through the Quad’s new Global Ideas Accelerator format, seeks to identify appropriate definitions for “Public Trust” and “Public Safety” in today’s Colorado Springs. A team of interdisciplinary students working under the guidance of a multi-specialty faculty group compiled academic literature, case studies, community interviews and a limited survey… View Article

Organizational Resilience Through Unprecedented Times

with Global Ideas Accelerator

This project, one of two being pursued through the Quad’s new Global Ideas Accelerator format, seeks to equip Colorado Springs-area organizational and community leadership with data-driven insight on how to adapt to unpredictable, changing circumstances and how to protect important mission-related work. A team of interdisciplinary students working under the guidance of faculty and practitioner… View Article

Build a Smart City: Integrating Startups + Higher Ed

with City of Colorado Springs

How can the City of Colorado Springs identify and deploy new technologies that will improve quality of life and economic opportunity for area residents? Research and recommend viable opportunities for how the City can partner with higher education institutions and startup companies to advance smart technologies region-wide.

Impact + Business Growth Planning

with Soil Cycle

Delivered growth strategy recommendations for Soil Cycle, a new composting business/social enterprise in Colorado Springs with 100 current customers. Recommendations were based on focused study of their market segments, relevant competitors and other market players, current and potential product opportunities and careful consideration of their social mission and positive community impact.

Behavioral Health in Schools

with Children’s Hospital Colorado

Study the most effective school-based behavioral health and suicide prevention programs in elementary and middle schools nationwide. Incorporate best practices into detailed program packages for deployment in schools across Colorado. Stakeholders include political, healthcare, education and community leaders from across the state. These leaders will put these recommendations to use starting next year.

Engaging Youth In Energy Planning and Production

with Colorado Springs Utilities

Build on research conducted during the Fall, 2019 semester to steward long term engagement between Colorado Springs Utilities and area high school students around energy planning, production and use as part of the ongoing Integrated Resources Planning (IRP) efforts. Develop materials to educate target audiences on how electric energy is produced and used in Colorado… View Article

Developing Affordable Housing for Seniors

with Innovations in Aging

Affordable housing is in short supply in Colorado Springs, particularly for senior citizens. Elevate community awareness and advance the development of a real affordable housing project to better serve our region’s most vulnerable elders alongside Innovations in Aging staff.

Market Analysis: Virtual Reality

with Altia

Altia is a tech company headquartered in Colorado Springs that provides powerful, professional-grade embedded graphical user interface (GUI) development tools. The tools help creative, customer-focused designers and software engineers worldwide deploy game-changing ways for users to interact with their devices and the internet. Automotive, medical, industrial and consumer electronics companies rely on Altia’s best-in-class software… View Article

Food Access

with El Paso County Department of Public Health

Some local neighborhoods have disproportionately low access to the fresh, healthy food that contributes to health and quality of life. Work alongside El Paso County Department of Public Health staff to design and validate a model that leverages what works and sustainably improves food access in these areas. Application deadline January 30th.

Improving Access to Social Services

with City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County

The City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County want to improve social services access for people in the region. This Quad project has 3 phases and phases 1 and 2 have already been completed. Phase 1 was research and discovery. During this phase the spring Quad team identified primary barriers to access, synthesized viable… View Article

Venetucci Farm: Feasibility Analysis on Future Use

with Venetucci Farm

Venetucci Farm has an important legacy in our community. As so, in consideration of the PFC-contamination of the Widefield Aquifer, the Pikes Peak Community Foundation (PPCF) commissioned this study of viable uses of the Venetucci Farm property. Since the land can no longer produce edible crops or sell water rights, PPCF must find other ways… View Article

Municipal Utilities: Electric Demand Analysis

with Colorado Springs Utilities

The energy market is currently undergoing unprecedented, rapid change. Technology, infrastructure and strategy considered cutting-edge less than ten years ago is increasingly providing obsolete or no longer appropriate for the realities of the third decade of the 21st century. Unexpected market realities – from natural gas availability to the possibility of carbon-emission caps or targets… View Article

Social Enterprise Design

with Silver Key Senior Services

Silver Key Senior Services is a local organization that supports quality of life for seniors. They are seeking to leverage their existing assets in order to deepen their impact through new revenue, employment opportunities for low-income seniors and other benefits to its target demographics by creating a social enterprise. Work alongside Silver Key CEO and… View Article