SPARK Center (UNI-003)
Summary 🟡 ~
- Owner Unit: University-level innovation/partnership function
- Sub-unit: SPARK Center
- Content Type: center
- Campus/Location: Loop
- Last Verified: July 29, 2026
Description & capabilities
Data-centric translation and partnership work for community-facing applied initiatives. The SPARK Center (Strategic Partnerships for the Advancement of Research and Knowledge) is positioned on the Loop Campus as a public gathering space where communities and organizations use predictive analytics, interdisciplinary scholarship, and inclusive debate to understand future impacts of decisions. Stakeholder sessions are described as immersive, data-rich experiences that present interactive data visualizations on a large screen to support discussion toward actionable conclusions.
Access status
- Level: yellow (
Negotiated Access) - Rationale: SPARK Center coordinates community-engaged research projects; participation is through project partnerships and staff contact.
- Access URL: spark.depaul.edu
- Contact name: SPARK Center
- Contact email: spark@depaul.edu
- Verification date: 2026-05-30
- Source URLs:
- spark.depaul.edu
Verification
- Status: likely (
~) - Confidence: 84/100
- Rationale: SPARK Center site (spark.depaul.edu) active with published spark@depaul.edu.
- Last verified: 2026-07-29
- Evidence:
- SPARK site active
- spark@depaul.edu published
- Community partnership projects described
- SPARK campaign flyer 2024 (large-screen interactive visualizations; gathering-space vision) —
sources/inbox/2026-07-22-spark-center-flyer/uploads/The_SPARK_Center_at_DePaul_University_vF_2024.pdf(vaulted as depaul/SRC-001554)
Equipment
Find this resource from the Equipment catalog or site search (e.g. “3D printers”, “laser cutter”, “NMR”).
| Category | Specific equipment |
|---|---|
| Data visualization and presentation | Large-format data visualization displays; Large-screen interactive data visualizations for stakeholder sessions (flyer); Presentation and collaboration space technology |
| LED walls and presentation displays | Large-screen presentation capability for immersive data-rich gathering-space sessions (flyer) |
| Creative workstations | Data science and design team workstations |
Source: SPARK Center site (May 2026); SPARK campaign flyer 2024 (packet 2026-07-22). Last verified: July 29, 2026.
Contacts (resource-level)
- Website: SPARK Center
- Email: SPARK Center
Last verified: May 28, 2026.
People & contacts
Named contacts from the people registry when publicly documented.
- LeAnne Wagner (Director) — leanne.wagner@depaul.edu · Profile
- LeAnne Wagner (Director) — leanne.wagner@depaul.edu · Profile
- Bamshad Mobasher (Collaborator) — Profile
- James Bort (Collaborator) — Profile
Source URL
Official links and email are listed under Contacts above.
Documented Relationships
Linked to AI Institute, Steans Center, and external partners (see External Partners: EXT-005, EXT-006, EXT-007).
Linked Relationship IDs
- UNI-005 - AI Institute (Translational profile)
- UNI-004 - Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning
- UNI-019 - Institute for Housing Studies (IHS)
- CDM-011 - VIDA / MedIX / IMP Labs
- EXT-005 - Steans Family Foundation
- EXT-006 - The Plant Chicago
- EXT-007 - Aon and NFP — Beyond the Loan
Notes
Center entry. ORS FY2026 GRA-1220 documents IHS + SPARK + VIDA predictive neighborhood analytics for Steans Family Foundation housing work in North Lawndale (packet 2026-08-19-annual-report-2026).