It is the shared value of The Bill and Dianne Mensch Foundation, Inc. and The University of Arizona’s W.A. Franke Honors College to empower students to reach their full potential and create value for the world around them.
Embedded intelligence (EI) is a foundation for understanding the world around us. EI empowers people to use knowledge and to connect their learnings to new ideas and innovations. EI is characterized as the ability to (1) Sense, (2) Process what has been sensed, (3) Communicate internally and externally, and (4) Actuate (SPCA) that which is beneficial for the survival of not only the entity itself but also others as well. Living in our world in joyful harmony is the goal of embedded intelligence. Students should review the following pages to learn more about The Mensch Foundation, Bill Mensch, and Embedded Intelligence.
- The Theory of Embedded Intelligence (EI)
- Embedded Intelligence Technology (EIT)
- Bill Mensch Executive Biography
- Bill Mensch Wikipedia
- The Mensch Prize at UArizona College of Engineering
Award Information: The Mensch Prize provides prizes to UA Honors students in the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation working on an essay that best exhibits the creative intelligence and innovation. Starting 2024-2025, Mensch Prizes are awarded to individual and team essays.
Application Process: UA Franke Honors students must apply within Scholarship Universe, which provides complete application and award information.
2024-2025 Mensch Prize Recipients
Three $1,000 Mensch Prizes for essays were awarded based on the following criterion: 1) Exemplifying creative intelligence as applied to a project or challenge. 2) Exhibiting discovery and employing creative thinking that leads to innovation and could have a global impact. 3) Implementation of an applied creative solution to a complex problem. Winners are listed below, and you can read the full announcement article here: 2024-25 Mensch Prize Winners
Samantha Morgan
Year: Sophomore
Majors: Speech, Language, and Hearing Studies and Creative Intelligence and Innovation
Minor: Health and Human Values
“Roots Without Borders” is a creative, community-powered approach to global disaster preparedness, born from a transdisciplinary course project. It envisions a multilingual, Red Cross–affiliated platform where people around the world share culturally grounded survival strategies. By turning lived experience into global knowledge, across borders, disciplines, and communities, it empowers everyday people to become leaders in resilience.
Emma Stevenson
Year: Junior
Majors: Neuroscience and Creative Intelligence and Innovation
Emma’s essay was a reflection on her BCII journey and the skills that she has gained throughout her classes. Her writing centered around a collaboration with the Red Cross and expanding on the idea of neighborhood coalitions in response to natural disasters. She highlighted the challenges and skills gained from the specific project and how that experience strengthened her skills.
Anastasia Princess Rastelli
Year: Freshman
Majors: Applied Science in Computing with an emphasis on Artificial Intelligence and Creative Intelligence and Innovation
“Designing the Future of Finance through Empathy, Immersion, and AI” explores how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, biometric data, and immersive VR can transform banking into a more human-centered experience. In response to a real-world challenge from Pima County Federal Credit Union, her team developed a speculative prototype that prioritizes emotional intelligence, accessibility, and trust. The project highlights how technology can be a tool for empathy, helping individuals make more meaningful and informed financial decisions.
$3000 in Team Prizes were also awarded to teams in various BCII courses and topics.
Impact-Driven Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 370: Past, Present, and Future of Innovation
Team: Emma Stevenson, Henry Wilkinson, Samantha Morgan, Rachel Roark
Creative Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 271: Creative Practice and Methods
Team: Jeremy Crider, Makena Dundon, Hailey Bushey, Phoebe Gregory
Transdiciplinary Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 270: Problems to Possibilities
Team: Anastasia Rastelli, Alexander Lowery, Bonnie Rock, Rocco Pelano
Futures Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 473: Envisioning Futures
Team: Isabella Ducey, Emma Stevenson, Anastasia Rastelli
Systems Innovation
BCII Course | HNRS 371: Creativity and Complexity
Team: Lauren Doyle, Phoebe Gregory, Andrew Krueger, Sukhmani Kaur, Jeremy Crider, Emily Askew, Stephan McCray, Bonnie Rock, Taylor Stanley
2022 Mensch Prize Recipients
- Farah Sawal (Neuroscience & Cognitive Sciences, Neurobiology, Thematic, College of Science)
- The Effect of Low-Glycemic Potatoes on Body Weight in a Rodent Model of Obesity
- Jenna Wise (Emergency Medical Services, Physiology & Medical Sciences, College of Medicine; Spanish, College of Humanities)
- Empowering eyewitnesses to apply Publicly Accessible Defibrillators [PADs] for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases
- Braydon Mathis (Biochemistry, Public Health, Health Systems Theory and Practice, Zuckerman College of Public Health)
- Community Health Needs Assessment that looks at the Southwestern LGBTQ+ youth population to observe and highlight the health disparities within the community in order to create a Program Plan of action
- Ethan Snapp (English, Literacy Learning and Leadership, Community Education, College of Education)
- Preaching Fear: The American Pastor in Literature
- Cristian Chavira (Biochemistry, College of Science)
- A collapsed fingers subdomain is the basis for DNA Polymerase β I260M mutator activity
- Raphael Lepercq (Electrical and Computer Sciences, College of Engineering)
- A Healthy Mobile App: Custom Supplement Recommendations Based on the User’s Laboratory Blood Test Results
2021 Mensch Prize Recipients
Article: “UAZ Honors College Announces The Mensch Prize for Honors Theses”
- Sophia Bragg (Nursing, College of Nursing)
- Investigating the ways care can be improved for the homeless community suffering from diabetes mellitus.
- Collin Eckhauser (Natural Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)
- How is climate change impacting your respiratory health?
- Gabrielle Gubka (Physiology, College of Medicine)
- Epidemics and pandemics throughout history challenge not only the vitality of those experiencing them but these people’s perception of the work and their role.
- Kat McGee (Communication, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Computer Science, College of Science)
- UX Design and its benefits to those who are less technologically inclined
- Claire Rosenberger (Physiology, College of Medicine; Spanish, College of Humanities)
- Exploration of sexual health education programs and their relation to reproductive health disparities
- Raj Watson (Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy)
- Possible link between statins and breast cancer