The Social Impact Metrics Lab (SIMLab) is a collaborative space where Impact Fellows and Associates, staff, faculty, and community partners come together to tackle complex social challenges. The SIMLab uses social change design to conduct comprehensive data analysis and inform strategic interventions.
The SIMLab empowers students to conduct staff and faculty-mentored evaluations of social impact programs for local organizations. By collaborating with community partners, we assess current impact, evaluate theories of change, and collect data to identify key gaps and opportunities for intervention design.
As a hub for systems thinking and design thinking, the SIMLab also hosts research workshops and competitions, such as the prestigious Oxford Map the System UVU campus competition. Additionally, faculty members can submit SIMLab project proposals, which if selected will be supported with funding and expert training.
Students can get involved as research assistants in the SIMLab when Innovation Academy scholarships are available or as Fellows or Associates at the Center for Social Impact. Projects include Social Change Design assessments for local community partner organizations and 3D data viz exhibits.
Additionally, students can enter the Oxford Map the System competition to learn systems mapping and the Design for Impact competition to learn design thinking and prototyping.
Faculty can use the SIMLab as a training resource to learn Social Change Design, including Systems Thinking, Theory of Change and Impact Measurement. They can also propose individual or classroom projects for social impact metrics research and analysis. Faculty members can submit their project proposals via email to [email protected].
Community partners can request a SIMLab impact assessment by reaching out to [email protected]. They can also request trainings on any part of our Social Change Design process.