IDEA REBELS A LILIE/SOCSCI COLLAB
WHAT IS THIS? Idea Rebels is a zine created by social sciences students at Rice University in collaboration with the Liu Idea Lab (Lilie).
The name Idea Rebels is a riff on the title of a book about cognitive diversity by Matthew Syed. He said: “If we are intent upon answering our most serious questions, from climate change to poverty, curing diseases to designing new products, we need to work with people who think differently.” We agree. That’s why we want to see more socsci people in innovation and entrepreneurship. We need your deep understanding of culture. We need your insights into human behavior. We hope to see you in a Lilie course, workshop, or program soon. The future of innovation looks a lot better with you in it. —Lilie
A PROBLEM WORTH SOLVING I remember sitting down at a table at my residential college talking to my classmates about investing in stocks and real estate. What I heard surprised me. Many of them wanted to put their money in stocks, but they didn’t know where to start. For me, this was one of the first times that I realized that a major problem that needs to be solved was the lack of mandatory education on topics like this. Although there were classes that taught basic investing skills in the past, I feel that investing should be emphasized more, and the classes should be offered more often. Moreover, I think that there should also be more general open workshops that can be held in college commons monthly or at least a little more regularly. In all, a problem that needs to be solved is making investing less daunting for young adults. —Keesha Gondipalli
OUR RECS Notion is how I track all my to-dos, from class assignments to application deadlines to sending my cousin a "happy birthday" text. I love it because I can sort all my to-dos by due date, status, and category (e.g. psychology class vs. career vs. personal). It's helped me feel more in control of all the moving parts in my life, and I hope it's helpful to y'all! — Amanda Le Financing the Startup Venture (BUSI 461) lets you explore a variety of industries and learn about many different startups. I get to learn about what investors value in a startup. Learning about startup culture is important for anyone looking to become an entrepreneur or considering designing policy around investing. - Keesha Gondipalli I enjoy The Economist: Economist Podcasts as they are usually not over fifty minutes long, and they span a wide range of topics since the podcasts are split into multiple categories. I think that many social science majors will find a category that they are really interested in like Checks and Balances or Money Talks. - Keesha Gondipalli Entrepreneurial Strategy (BUSI 463) serves as a great introduction for students who have entrepreneurial interests or any passion for managing or running a business. You don’t need any experience or prior knowledge to understand the key concepts. Classes are very discussion heavy with supplemental lecturing and the professors are always eager to hear students’ responses. - Tamaz Young
TO THE SOCSCI GIRLIES
I think I’ve always had a clouded image of what a “founder” or “entrepreneur” looked like. To me, the founder was a white man with some sort of genius technological solution to a problem that I couldn’t even begin to fathom. When I began my journey into Rice’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, I was so excited to learn and meet like-minded people. I didn’t really know how I would fit into it, but I was eager to find out. Once I began taking entrepreneurship classes, I was a little shocked to see that I was one of a handful of girls and social sciences majors in my classes. I knew it couldn’t be the material or the atmosphere. The entrepreneurial skills I was learning enhanced my overall Rice curriculum tenfold. All my professors and the Lilie team gave me more support and encouragement than any other department at Rice has. So, what gives? My theory is that the lack of social science majors in entrepreneurship is partially rooted in how we think about a “problem” worth solving. For example, in my Social Policy Analysis capstone, my team and I are working with a local education center to design a screening tool to measure adult health, financial and digital literacy. Designthinking, anyone? Similarly, the way my team and I write interview questions to our stakeholders follows the same procedure I’ve used to conduct customer discovery interviews in the past. For any women or social sciences major considering an entrepreneurship class, just know that there is a community here for you. We might be small, but we are mighty. Whether it’s designing a policy intervention or conducting ethnographic research, the parallels between the Social Sciences and entrepreneurship are limitless.If you have the room, squeeze in an entrepreneurship class or two. I promise you won’t regret it. —Devika Jhaveri
SOCSCI COURSES FOR PROBLEM SOLVERS
Social Policy Analysis (SOPA 400): Work in teams under the guidance of a Rice faculty member, researcher, or community partner to evaluate or design a social policy intervention. Global Health Technology (GLHT392): Learn and develop the engineering skill of needs finding in the field of bioengineering focused on designing for disabilities. Global Health Design I (GLHT 451): Work on design projects to address global health disparities. Consulting Practicum (SOSC 444): Interact with businesses or non-profit organizations seeking creative solutions to challenges they face. Environmental Issues - Rice Into the Future (ENST 302): Use the campus as a laboratory for learning about sustainability through group projects to reduce Rice's environmental impact or resolve environmental issues. Engineering Solutions for Sustainable Communities (ENST 281): Work in teams to develop sustainable solutions for energy or environmental problems affecting our Houston and Rice communities. Ethnographic Research (SOCI 405): Learn ethnographic skills through lectures, readings, and fieldwork in social settings. Spatial Analysis (SOCI 460): Learn how to apply spatial concepts and methods to study the geographic distribution of social phenomena, the spatial organization of communities, and the relationship between society and the environment.
LILIE COURSES SPRING 2024 Intro to Design and Innovation (BUSI 220): Develop the skills to use design and innovation to make an impact in any career path Founder’s Journey (BUSI 360): Discover entrepreneurship and chart your own journey to success. Entrepreneurial Communication (BUSI 361): Master essential communication for success in startups. New Enterprises (BUSI 369): Use proven frameworks to develop and test your own idea. Entrepreneurial Strategy (BUSI 463): Explore entrepreneurial strategy, financing, and team dynamics. Student Venture Fund (BUSI 465): Learn startup evaluation and investment. Lilie New Venture Challenge (BUSI 469): Pour rocket fuel on your existing idea through guidance and mentorship.
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