University of Arkansas' innovation program to expand

The University of Arkansas' McMillon Innovation Studio announced plans Monday to host 14 design teams consisting of students and mentors in the fall.

What's happening: The studio wants those looking to solve social, organizational or entrepreneurial problems to apply.

Flashback: This past spring, the studio hosted seven design teams that tackled projects like how to more effectively communicate COVID-19-related news to the Latinx community.

• They also looked into how to offer more resources to improve financial stability among small business owners in underrepresented groups.

Why it matters: The intention is to mentor future leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators by giving them an opportunity to make real-world changes, according to the university.

What they're saying:

"A big change this semester is that students are welcome to bring in their own entrepreneurial ideas or innovations and pitch those at the beginning of the semester to other potential team members."