FAQs

How are the companies and speakers for INNOVATE 2008 selected and when will full information on the conference itinerary be available?

The INNOVATE conference draws on the professional ties and connections of all of the participating institutions in INNOVATE to select the best companies and speakers for each year given the themes that the conference is focusing on. Many of the companies we visit or that provide speakers for INNOVATE have close ties with at least one of our participating institutions or have been recommended by INNOVATE advisors and university colleagues.

With presently over 180 INNOVATE alumni we also seek out recommendations or introductions to the companies and organizations that our alumni have ties with when planning for INNOVATE. Long-term, we anticipate that many of our site visits and speakers will be arranged or hosted by INNOVATE alumni as they go on to have professionally challenging and rewarding positions relating to technology and globalization worldwide.

The INNOVATE conference also seeks to cultivate relationships between major international corporations that operate throughout East Asia and there are certain companies, such as Texas Instruments, that have been involved with INNOVATE in each year of the conference. We continue to seek out new relationships with corporations operating in East Asia and if you believe that the work your company is doing would be a good fit for the INNOVATE conference please contact innovate@rice.edu.

I'd like to learn more about INNOVATE by speaking to a past INNOVATE delegate. Is that possible?

Yes! To learn more about the experience of past delegates on INNOVATE simply go to the Student Profiles page. This page contains lists of past delegates to INNOVATE along with profiles/updates from some of our alumni. You may also want to contact your university INNOVATE advisor to see if they can put you in touch with some past participants from your institution or email innovate@rice.edu

When will INNOVATE 2008 be held?

The tentative dates for INNOVATE 2008 are March 13-21, 2008. These dates will be finalized by the opening of the online application for INNOVATE 2008.

The dates for INNOVATE 2008 do not fall over my spring break or any other holiday break for me. What should I do?

Unfortunately due to the wide range of institutions and countries represented within INNOVATE it is not always possible for us to schedule the conference to coincide with spring breaks or holidays for all participating institutions. Each year there are students who must make alternate arrangements for the classes and coursework they will miss during the INNOVATE conference. You should speak with your academic advisors and instructors for the Spring 2008 term as early as possible to inform them of your desire to participate in INNOVATE 2008 and work out a plan with them to make-up the work you may miss while you are gone.

We would like to stress that this is an academic conference and that the themes of this conference and the site visits and speaker that comprise INNOVATE typically fit in well with some of the academic coursework that our delegates are taking during the spring semester. It is not uncommon for INNOVATE delegates to make a special presentation to their course upon their return highlighting their experience on INNOVATE and the linkages between what they learned during the conference and what they are presently studying in the classroom.

I have a test, paper or other assignment that I need to complete and submit while we are abroad on INNOVATE. Will it be possible to do that?

Yes, this is usually not a problem. If this is a major assignment it may be helpful for you to plan on bringing your own laptop with you on INNOVATE so that you may work on the assignment during downtime while traveling. The hotels that we stay at during INNOVATE will have a business center available where you may access computers and the internet. However, the speed may be slower than what you are accustomed to at home and, depending on the country, some websites may not be fully accessible or blocked. We strongly encourage you to complete all research, including internet research, prior to departure so that all you need to do while abroad is write up and submit the paper or assignment. Please keep in mind that you will be responsible for the cost of any internet access while you are abroad with INNOVATE and that the hotel business center will likely not be open 24 hours. You will need to plan for the submission of your assignment accordingly.

Prior to departure you should speak with your instructor or advisor to confirm with them your schedule during the conference and identify an appropriate time/deadline for you to submit the assignment by. Keep in mind the time differences and likelihood for delays in getting back to the hotel at night due to traffic or other issues. You may want to refer to the Global Time Converter to confirm what time/day it will be abroad when you need to submit your assignment.

Is there any funding available to help me attend INNOVATE?

The INNOVATE conference receives partial support from the National Science Foundation Partnership for International Research and Education grant awarded to Prof. Junichiro Kono of Rice University. This funding enables the INNOVATE conference to reduce the conference registration fees charged to delegates and the posted conference registration fee already reflects this reduction in cost.

For additional funding and support you will need to speak with your INNOVATE advisor at your home university to determine what additional university funding may be available to you. Possible avenues of support including international or study abroad scholarships through your study abroad office; funding through your academic department; funding from your dean's office; and funding from campus or community-based organization to which you belong including IEEE, SWE and more.

You may also want to get together with other INNOVATE delegates from your university to brainstorm on other possible fundraising activities that may be available on your campus. For example, on some campuses student groups or organizations can volunteer to work at or cleanup after a university football game or other sporting event and raises funds to support the student group. If you have an IAESTE chapter on campus you might be able to pursue this opportunity to raise funds to support the attendance of one of your chapter members at INNNOVATE.

Also, be sure to let your family/friends know that you will be participating in INNOVATE and ask that in lieu of holiday or birthday gifts they contribute to your INNOVATE conference registration fee. They could provide you with the funds directly to then be forwarded to INNOVATE or, if they prefer, they can make out a check directly to Rice University towards your INNOVATE conference registration fee and mail it to the INNOVATE mailing address. Just be sure that they list your name and university in the memo line of the check so that it can be properly credited to your INNOVATE account.

I am an international delegate whose university will not provide funding or support for me to attend INNOVATE. What should I do?

The INNOVATE conference would encourage you to pursue the same avenues for funding and support as recommended above. However, if you have exhausted all channels for funding and support through your university the INNOVATE conference may be able to provide some financial support towards your conference registration fee via any funds raised through the International Delegate Fund. Priority in the awarding of delegate support for INNOVATE 2008 will go to students from Vietnam.

However, you should not plan on receiving funds from INNOVATE as these may not be available. These will only be made available as funding allows. It is your responsibility as a selected delegate to INNOVATE to meet all stated payment deadlines to ensure your participation in the conference. Start seeking out options for funding your participation in INNOVATE now and if you truly will not be able to raise the funds please let INNOVATE know as soon as possible. If we are unable to award any funding via the International Delegate Fund you may need to withdraw from the conference and begin to save up now to attend future INNOVATE conferences in 2009 or 2010.

In order to receive funding or support for me to participate in INNOVATE my university requires that I receive academic credit but I am not a student at Rice, Tulsa or Pittsburgh who will automatically be enrolled in the INNOVATE course. What should I do?

All selected INNOVATE delegates from other universities will have the option to enroll in the INNOVATE 2008 course via the University of Pittsburgh for an additional fee. During the course meeting you will be able to watch the live webcast of the course on the Rice University website and utilize OwlSpace to submit your questions/comments to the speaker. If you are not able to watch and participate in the course live due to the time difference you will be able to watch the archived webcasts of the course and submit all required assignments/readings online via OwlSpace. Upon completion of INNOVATE and the course you will receive a grade and official transcript from the University of Pittsburgh. You will receive credit and an official transcript via the University of Pittsburgh upon completion of the INNOVATE course.

What about passports & visas? How do these work for INNOVATE?

To participate in INNOVATE you must have a valid passport from your country of citizenship. If you are a US citizen who either does not have a passport or needs to renew your passport please refer to the Resources page of the INNOVATE website where you will find links to the US Department of State Passport Information pages. Typically your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date of travel so check your expiration date to be sure. Due to the current backlog of passport applications we STRONGLY urge all US citizens to apply for or renew their passport no later than mid-November 2007 to help ensure that you will have your passport prior to departure and in time to apply for any required visas.

Visas for INNOVATE will vary based on the countries we are traveling to in that conference year. Visa issuance is at the discretion of the host country and neither the INNOVATE conference nor Rice University can assist you should your application for a visa be denied. Carefully review all visa regulations prior to submitting your application and contact INNOVATE for questions. If you do not receive a required visa for one of the INNOVATE host countries you will not be able to participate in the conference. The visa application process can take anywhere from one to four weeks on average so be sure to submit your visa application as early as possible.

For 2008 all delegates will need to apply for an obtain a visa to enter Vietnam in order to participate in INNOVATE. The INNOVATE conference will provide more information on the visa application process for Vietnam to selected delegates in December 2007. US citizens will not need a visa to enter Singapore but citizens of other nations may need a visa. To see a Singaporean visa is required for your country of citizenship click here. If your country of citizenship is not listed then you do not require a visa to enter Singapore.

What about travel arrangements for INNOVATE? Do I arrange these or does the conference do this?

INNOVATE delegates from US-Participating institutions who confirm their participation in INNOVATE by submission of the 50% deposit of their conference fee by January 15 will be booked economy class airfare on the group international flight. This cost is included in your conference registration fee and more information on this flight will be provided to selected delegates in December. US delegates are responsible for arranging their own domestic airfare or travel to the point of international departure/return in the US. When scheduling your domestic ticket please keep in mind that you will need to arrive at the airport from which the group international flight will depart at least 2 hours prior to departure. It is advisable to allow between 3 - 4 hours bewteen your domestic and international flight to allow for possible weather or other travel delays.

INNOVATE delegates from international participating institutions must arrange their own airfare or travel to/from Vietnam and/or Singapore. INNOVATE cannot book this for you as ticket does not originate in the US and you should speak with your on-campus INNOVATE advisor or travel agent about low-cost student fares or to see if your group will qualify for a group rate fare if you will be traveling with other students from your university. We encourage all international delegates to schedule their flights to coincide as closely as possible with the US international group flight as you may then be able to join us on the bus transfers between the hotel and airport on a space available basis.

What will the hotel accommodations be like?

The conference hotel in both cities for INNOVATE will be a three-or-four-star hotel suited to the needs of an academic conference. Student delegates will stay in double-occupancy rooms and your roommates will be assigned by INNOVATE. Whenever possible we try to match up US and International delegates as roommates so that you have a greater opportunity to get to know another delegate from outside your home country. If this is not possible we will try to match up roommates so that you will at very least be with a student who is not from your home university. Generally we will switch roommates around during each leg of the conference so you have the opportunity to room with another INNOVATE delegate.

Typically the conference hotels will offer internet access in your room or a business center with internet access, included daily breakfast buffet, restaurants or cafes, fitness room, laundry services, concierge services, and mini-bar or coffee/tea in room. See the Itinerary page for more information on the conference hotel for this year. Please keep in mind that your INNOVATE conference fee only covers your lodging and daily breakfast and you will be solely responsible for paying for any additional amenities or incidental expenses. This may mean that the hotel will require you to leave a deposit or provide your credit card number to access the phone, internet, minibar or make charges to your room. You will need to coordinate payment of all incidental room charges prior to checkout at the conference hotel with your roommate.