Feature Stories

Ready to get creative? The West Houston Institute's IDEAStudio makerspace is open to all HCC students, faculty, and staff at no cost. As a member of IDEAStudio, you can learn to use cutting edge technologies like 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines, as well as traditional tools in our woodworking and metalworking shops.

Houston Community College’s West Houston Institute (WHI) was awarded $750,000 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

The Collaboratorium is open to support HCC teams over the summer – whether you prefer to meet in-person (max: 15 participants), remotely, or blended.

We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for next year’s cohort of Innovation Fellows! Apply to join an exclusive group charged with the responsibility of helping to innovate teaching and learning at Houston Community College.

Join us this Spring as we talk Food, Healing, and Social Justice! This series of talks has been organized by Dr. Soyeon Lee in support of the West Houston Institute's Back to the Foodture interdisciplinary challenge. Three free events will be held March 10th, 29th, and 31st at 10:00am.

West Houston Institute IDEAStudio's Design for Making Spring 2021 courses are now open for registration. Participants will learn introductory design skills needed to create original designs for use with 3D printing, vinyl and laser cutting, and more. These sessions are offered without cost to HCC students, faculty, and staff.

The West Houston Institute building at Hayes Rd. continues to be closed to visitors in accordance with HCC health and safety guidelines. Our staff remain actively engaged in college and community activities. Explore our website to find individual contact information and opportunities to get involved with us.

The West Houston Institute's IDEAS Challenge, "Plastic Planet Remix" has concluded its Spring semester program. A website has been developed by student innovator, Anh Vo, to share all of the projects as well as to provide information learned about the history of plastic and the problem of plastic waste in the environment.

This year, IDEAStudio has been looking at the problem of plastic waste through the “Plastic Planet Remix Challenge”. To keep things going as we all are work and go to school from home, we will host several virtual activities to celebrate the 50th annual Earth Day, April 22, 2020.

Faculty and students will work across STEM disciplines to research and apply current research and technological innovations to the problem of plastic waste. This collaboration of the HCC Engineering Center, West Houston Institute, Center for Digital and Information Technology, Life & Natural Sciences, and Mathematics Divisions is in support of the National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) - Harris County Community College Alliance (HCCCA) Grant.

The data is in for 2018-19 and the West Houston Institute's Learning Commons, supported by HCC Northwest Libraries, is the most used Electronic Resource across the district.

The Collaboratorium played an integral part in the success of the #RealCollege 2019 Summit, hosted by the WHI in September 2019.

Faculty and students will work across STEM disciplines to research and apply current research and technological innovations to the problem of plastic waste. This collaboration of the HCC Engineering Center, West Houston Institute, Center for Digital and Information Technology, Life & Natural Sciences, and Mathematics Divisions is in support of the National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) - Harris County Community College Alliance (HCCCA) Grant.

The West Houston Institute will be re-opening for in-person activities starting June 7th! We will be working exclusively with HCC students, faculty, and staff, so take advantage of this opportunity to innovate with us this summer!

When Goodwill Houston saw a need to develop innovative strategic solutions to further expand its mission services and create added value for shoppers and donors, they turned to the Collaboratorium, the collaborative solution design center at HCC’s West Houston Institute, for assistance.

We are excited to announce our 2022-23 West Houston Institute Innovation Fellows! Coming from across all areas of the college and representing both faculty and staff, this is another amazing group of creative thinkers and doers who will be taking on the complex challenges facing higher education today.