Across Ohio, high schools, colleges, and universities are increasingly embedding skill-based learning and real-world problem-solving into their curricula. Educators are moving beyond theoretical instruction and actively seeking industry-defined “challenge projects”—authentic problems or opportunities that students can explore and develop into early-stage concepts or proof-of-concept solutions.
These projects give students hands-on experience while helping them understand how their skills apply in real workplace settings. To support this growing movement, we invite Ohio Life Sciences industry partners to share current challenges, needs, or innovation areas that could benefit from fresh perspectives and creative thinking.
What Is a “Challenge Project”?
A challenge project can take many forms and can be tailored to different academic levels—from high school through graduate programs. Examples include:
- A workflow inefficiency that could benefit from new ideas or process redesign
- A scientific or technical question worth exploring or validating
- A product, process, or digital tool concept that needs early-stage development
- A community, workforce, or patient-focused issue that could spark innovative solutions
The goal is not a finished product, but meaningful exploration that builds critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
Why Participate?
By contributing a challenge project, industry partners can:
- Support the development of Ohio’s future STEM and life sciences workforce
- Build early relationships with students who may become interns or future hires
- Gain innovative ideas and new perspectives from emerging talent
- Strengthen collaboration between industry and education across the state
These partnerships create value on both sides—students gain real-world experience, and organizations gain insight, connections, and visibility among Ohio’s next generation of life sciences professionals.
Get Involved
If your organization has a challenge to propose, or if you would like to be connected with instructors currently running project-based courses, we’d love to hear from you.
To participate, email Angie McMurry, Director of Industry Engagement and Workforce Development, at amcmurry@ohiolifesciences.org.
Thank you for supporting experiential learning and for helping grow Ohio’s life sciences talent pipeline.
