University Innovation Fellows - User contributions [en]

Fellow:Mack Ragland

2018-07-14T17:31:17Z

Rtfmack:

== About Me ==

I'm from a lot of places, but currently living in Texas.  I am currently working on a First Responders UAV project and I always have tons of ideas. So if you like ideas, have ambition, or are a big fan of science, I am always up for a good conversation.

[[Category:Student Contributors|Student_Contributors]]

Priorities:Texas A&M University Student Priorities: Part III

2016-10-23T19:00:00Z

Rtfmack:

'''Overview'''

While Texas A&M University boasts a vast sum of resources in order to facilitate entrepreneurship, its de facto accessibility is lackluster due to the sparse nature of all of the manifestations of the resources. While it may initially seem positive that we have so many different facilities and programs, it leads to confusion, especially for undergraduate students, and creates an inhibitory effect on students who wish to venture into I&E. This leads to the stonewalling of many students from taking initiative for an idea they may have, and this produces, in sum, an unrecoverable loss in ideas, the retardation of innovation evangelism, and limits entrepreneurship in general for the student body. It is imperative that the university organizes the programs and resources in a manner that is intuitive, clear, and easily accessible. 

This page lists directed strategies to this issue and enumerates possible implementations of solutions for each strategy.

{{#Widget:Youtube|id=q40BICFTnN8}}

= Strategies =

== '''PROJECT H.U.B.''' ==

'''Current structure is too confusing; organize an umbrella head for all I&E initiatives and programs, with main manifestation being a website.'''

#'''Website that is clear, concise, and minimalistic. [[File:Bootstrap-resources-templates-05.jpg|thumb|Bootstrap-resources-templates-05.jpg]]'''
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>A student should be able to enter this website and not be overwhelmed by the structure.
**[https://getmdl.io/ Material Design Lite] or [https://startbootstrap.com/ Bootstrap] is a feasible standard
**Short and easy URL (tamuie.com, ie.tamu.edu, etc)
*The website should be a portal that any student can use to find out more about I&E at TAMU.
**Can be categorized by specific perks and benefits of each program to match an individual student's needs[[File:Square.png|thumb|Square.png]]</li>

*Plan
*#Meet with Rodney Boehm, director of EIC, to discuss how to implement the umbrella structure
*#Meet with directors of different I&E programs and discuss pipelining information to H.U.B.
*#Sample student opinions to assess what is specifically unfavorable with current website
*#Outline website structure, full stack diagram and flow chart.
*#Assemble Team, Develop Website
*#Test Pipeline, posting, accessibility, sample experience of website from student user data
*#Launch
*#Write documentation for future maintenance

'''2. Increase collaboration amongst differnt I&E programs to decrease sparsity''' 

*Encourage and facilitate collaboration between different (possibly similar) programs in order to reduce degree of seperation between programs and to encourage a more centralized structure
<ol style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>Meet with directors of different I&E programs and learn the programs</li>
<li>Construct a map of possible collaboration initiatives between programs</li>
<li>Contact the individual directors with collaboration proposal</li>
<li>Take proposal idea and survey opinions of users who participated in either/both programs</li>
<li>Solidify proposal, contact intermediary (umbrella head) to mediate the initiative</li>
<li>Launch the initiative</li>
<li>Reiterate</li>
</ol>

== '''PROJECT D.E.M.O.''' ==

*Need a way to showcase the separate efforts of the I&E programs across campus
*Need a way to keep track of events of all the different I&E programs into a single calendar
*This is another centralization effort that enables students to enter the hub and become familiarzed and aware of all of the different programs across campus

#'''Demo Day at the end of the academic year'''
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>''''''This is to showcase all of the events by selecting highlights</li>
<li>This can expose students or "viewers" to the different programs and the roles they played in developing the projects</li>
<li>Should decide between presentation style and science fair style</li>
<li>Aggressive marketing to ensure a large audience of other I&E students and those who are potentially interested</li>
<li>PLAN:</li>
</ul>
<ol style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>Discuss with stakeholders, I&E student leaders, and industry partners to broadly construct the outline of the event-- namely science-fair or presentation-pitch style</li>
<li>Contact the different I&E programs to highlight their most successful venture to be part of the demo</li>
<li>Organize and plan the demo</li>
<li>Coordinate with I&E directors</li>
<li>Aggressively market to students who are both in and not in I&E</li>
<li>Finalize structure, confirm attendance and participation of the highlight projects</li>
<li>Launch</li>
<li>Survey results of all those who were involved, including attendees, sponsors, directors, and demo-ers</li>
</ol>

       2. '''Central calendar for all I&E related events'''
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
Events like this are easier to organize if there is a single timeline<li>Front end visualization framework backed by a google calendar that is easily modifiable by representatives of different I&E programs</li>
<li>Make part of H.U.B.</li>
Plan</ul>
<ol style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>Coordinate with directors of I&E programs about the idea</li>
<li>Create a framework or bot that helps to automate the scheduling</li>
<li>Re-coordinate with directors to instruct on scheduling</li>
<li>Update H.U.B. to reflect the schedule on the backend</li>
<li>Advertise H.U.B. and calendar</li>
</ol>

== '''PROJECT O.U.T.R.E.A.C.H.''' ==

'''Proactive Outreach: Go to the students, instead of waiting for the students to come to us. Outreach proactive search for student opinion and feedback as well. The students are our customers and we need to engage with them and vice versa, as well as providing an environment for them to connect amongst themselves.'''

#'''I&E Community'''

*''''''Environment for students to engage with others who are also passionate about I&E
*Rapport support amongst students for I&E initiatives
*Fosters networking, interpersonal learning, and increased engagement and interaction
*PLAN:
<ol style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>Survey students to see if I&E community is something they would actually be engaged with</li>
<li>Proceed with recruiting said students to be early adopters of the I&E space</li>
<li>Choose a dedicated location for the space</li>
<li>Organize forum leaders to spearhead discussions and dynamics in the room</li>
<li>Encourage leaders to head knowledge sharing session</li>
<li>Encourage referall of other students</li>
</ol>

         2. '''Increase proactive engagement with students to asess and address contemporary complaints/feedback'''

*Cannot continue to proceed in a "directionless" pursuit of I&E at the university
*The core of any such efforts should revolve around our students and their interests
*To gauge these, we should have an open line of communication at all times
*PLAN:
*#Survery students within I&E community
*#Survey students outside of I&E community
*#Construct an open-line for feedback/complaints of I&E related activities
*#Feed data into a sum and analyze 
*#Discuss inherent issues of sum and construct plans or plan edits
*#Iterate

== '''PROJECT C.O.A.C.H.''' ==

*There exists academic advisors to help students navigate through courses and major; why not one for I&E?
* I&E advisors should help passionate students who don't know where to start to find their place and program in the I&E ecosystem
*I&E coaches should help students who don't necessarily know which direction to take for their idea

#'''Have an I&E advisor who is familiar with our ecosystem'''

*I&E Advisor can be a student or faculty member dedicated to helping those who have just dipped their toes into I&E
*PLAN:
<ol style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>''''''Create portfolio of different I&E organizations/programs to be easily read and understood</li>
<li>Select a member in the community, faculty or student, dedicated to using this portfolio to help students</li>
<li>Certify this individual</li>
<li>Have this individual's profile and contact be put on the main I&E hub</li>
<li>Talk to other I&E programs and have their information streamlined to the advisor'''    '''</li>
</ol>

''''''

'''      ''''''  2.  Have an I&E Coach who helps students with the direction of their product'''

Coaches should not only be familiar with the startup process and idea transformation, but should be trained and involved with several different I&E programs on campus in order to have the best knowledge base for students

*PLAN:
<ol style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>Identify a member of the local I&E community who is experienced with a good number of the programs</li>
<li>Else, default to Startup Aggieland</li>
<li>Connect this individual to students and vice versa by expanding and advertising profile on I&E hub</li>
<li>Monitor student feedback and asessment of individual to help coach learn to be more helpful</li>
<li>Let other I&E programs know about coach's role as to easily streamline request for information to ensure that there is no bottleneck for the student entrepreneur</li>
</ol>

= Related Links =

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Texas_A_%26_M_University_Student_Priorities Texas A&M Student Priorities Part I]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Texas_A%26M_University_Student_Priorities:_Part_II Texas A & M Student Priorities Part II]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Texas_A_%26_M_University Texas A & M University Overview]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Jusung_Lee Jusung Lee]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Momore_Adesanmi Momore Adesanmi]

[http://universityinnovation.org/%2FKanika%20Gakhar /Kanika_Gakhar]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Mack_Ragland Mack Ragland]

School:Texas A & M University

2016-10-23T18:59:24Z

Rtfmack:

[[File:TAMU LC emblem.png|thumb|center|350px|TAMU LC emblem.png]]

= Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship =

[[File:TAMU LC 3ds 1.jpg|thumb]]

Texas A&M University proudly hosts an inclusive and enabling infrastructure for entrepreneurship and innovation efforts led by students through various on-campus programs: Startup Aggieland, Aggies in Business, and the Engineering Innovation Center are all manifestations of such an effort and allow students to exercise their business-savvy, creativity, and product development skills.

[http://cnve.tamu.edu/programs/ The Mays Business School Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship] provides undergraduate and graduate certificates for entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, the undergraduate certificate is limited to undergraduate students in Mays Business School. Only the graduate certificate is available to students across colleges. The Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, however, does support student entrepreneurship as well as faculty and the local community with competitions and lecture series to inspire and educate across campus. Some of its popular programs include:

*[http://cnve.tamu.edu/programs/ideas-challenge/ Ideas Challenge] - idea competition where 40 finalist ideas are chosen, and the top 3 ideas receive a cash prize (1st - $3,000, 2nd - $2,000, 3rd - $1000)
*[http://cnve.tamu.edu/programs/3DS/ 3 Day Startup] - a weekend event where students collaborate to form businesses and demo a prototype to a panel of judges, including investors

[[File:TAMU LC 3ds 2.jpg|thumb|right|TAMU LC 3ds 2.jpg]]

*[http://cnve.tamu.edu/programs/lunch-learn/ Lunch and Learn] - lunch speaker events
*[http://cnve.tamu.edu/programs/start-up-101/ Startup 101]- a weekly lesson spanning 3 or 4 weeks featuring presentations from business leaders, marketers, and IP attorneys and their advice on startup creation

[http://cnve.tamu.edu/programs/accelerator Startup Aggieland] is a brand new student incubator designed to provide students who have launch-ready concepts with the opportunity to receive co-working spaces, mentors, and a supportive community.  They lack laboratories, equipment, and funding. 

[[File:TAMU LC startupaggieland 1.jpg|thumb|right|TAMU LC startupaggieland 1.jpg]][[File:TAMU LC startupaggieland 2.jpg|thumb|right|TAMU LC startupaggieland 2.jpg]]

[http://www.txaib.org/images/txaib/pages/aib_consulting.html Aggies in Business (AiB)] is another brand new program that provides business consulting for local businesses, and enables students to be employed by the university to perform this consulting work.  The student employees are overseen by leadership.

Texas A&M also has several avenues, such as the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship Newsletter, Texas A&M Regional Engineering Conference, and Engineering Development (hosted by Student Engineers' Council), to inform students of and market innovation and entrepreneurial activities and opportunities. 

[[File:Tamuhack.jpg|thumb|Tamuhack.jpg]]

[https://engineering.tamu.edu/aggiesinvent Aggies Invent] is a monthly, 48 hour intensive design experience offered at the Engineering Innovation Center (EIC), a 20,000 square foot rapid prototyping lab. The format of the experience is to engage 60 or more students in multidiscipline/multi-level teams in hands on projects that will push their innovation, creativity, and communication skills. Each event will have a specific theme and will be designed in collaboration with industry and faculty. At the final presentations, Aggies Invent teams will compete for cash awards. 1st place - $1,000, 2nd place - $750, and 3rd place - $500 per team. The end goal is to provide students the opportunity to acquire skills essential to becoming successful innovation leaders and support them in founding startup companies.

[http://tamuhack.com/ TAMUHack] is the official [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon hackathon] of the university, where 700 students across the world get together on our campus to build amazing products quickly and intelligently. TAMUHack brings relevant industrial partners such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Rackspace to connect with our students and helps them to meet the needs of a world that is incessantly expanding. This event particularly allows the students to exercise their sense of entrepreneurship and innovation by rapidly developing solutions to modern problems in an efficient manner, and also helps our students to learn to work with a diverse set of team members. Additionally, this event exposes our students to the rapid construction/deployment framework, such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development agile development], that is one of the hallmarks of modernly relevant powerhouses in tech such as Square, Uber, Facebook, AirBnB, and others.

[[File:14560175 886476334817112 3754447765034671670 o.jpg|thumb]]

= Faculty Innovation and Entrepreneurship =

The university offers great resources to enable faculty entrepreneurship. CNVE offers online resources ( for e.g. lectures and case-studies) to help faculty introduce innovation and entrepreneurship to students in both innovation- and entrepreneurship-focused and non- innovation and entrepreneurship-focused courses.

Faculty are allowed to participate in nearly all of the programs run by CNVE  which also enables them to be introduced to and educated in entrepreneurship, and there are numerous institutions that provide commercialization of research. For example, the Office of Texas A&M System Technology Commericialization assists faculty in taking their research outside the university in the form of inventions and startups. 

[http://vpr.tamu.edu/about The Division of Research] at A&M is a library of resources in the university and surrounding network.  They accept grant proposals and funnel research opportunities to the correct institutions (most of which are listed under Entrepreneurship and Funding Resources).

= University Technology Transfer Function =

Texas A&M offers a number of offices to encourage quick transfer of research to industry, aided also by some incubators in the surrounding Bryan / College Station area.

[https://engineering.tamu.edu/easa/areas/enrichment/aggie-challenge The Aggi-E Challenge Program] is a program designed to actively engage engineering undergraduate students with multidisciplinary team projects related to the engineering challenges facing our society. The grand challenges include, but are not limited to, the 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering (articulated by the National Academy of Engineering), the 14 Grand Challenges for Global Health (articulated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), and Engineering World Health: Projects That Matter. The program provides engineering undergraduates with opportunities to engage in multidisciplinary team projects addressing elements of some of the most important engineering challenges. Since fall 2012, more than 680 students have participated in the AggiE_Challenge program.

[https://engineering.tamu.edu/programs/gcsp The Grand Challenges Scholars Program] (GCSP) is a selective, three-year program that will attract, retain, and graduate future leaders who are equipped to solve engineering grand challenges facing our society today and in the future. The Grand Challenge Scholar (GCS) will achieve in-depth understanding of their technical areas in the context of research related to a Grand Challenge problem while also gaining interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial, global, and service learning expertise and experiences. Grand Challenge Scholars will be prepared to be global leaders, in all sectors: academe, government, and industry. The program assists proactive and dedicated students to hone their academic aptitude into producing solutions to modern engineering problems.

[http://otc.tamu.edu/ The Texas A&M Office of Technology Commercialization] identifies and supports the transition of academic research into a monetized product by linking researchers with entrepreneurs and investors.  Businesses are spin-outs of the A&M System research and licensed through A&M.

*~36 current startups listed
*Formation of over 700 license agreements
*Manage 900 patents, 1500 patent applications

[http://agriliferesearch.tamu.edu/corporaterelations/about-corporate-relations/ Texas A&M AgriLife Research] is a hub for agricultural entrepreneurs.  They have existing relationships with sponsors in order to quickly develop startups where researchers can remain scientists and hand over project management to a sponsor. 

*Network of
**250 country extension offices
**900 professional educators

 [http://tti.tamu.edu/group/tog/ Texas A&M Transport Institution] provides networking for innovators to research institutions regarding the transportation profession as a whole, including construction and safety. 

[http://researchvalley.org/who-we-are/ Research Valley] is a hub that provides support to early stage startups as well as networking to quickly bring startups and technology ventures to the industry. They are built on strong industry relationships that enables the quick move to industry. 

*Access to capital from
**Aggie Angel Network
**Research Valley Funds, LLC
**Texas  Emerging Technology Fund ($200 million in funding for commercialization)
**Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas
**See updated landscape analysis for more options on regional capital.

= University-Industry Collaboration =

The University has strong ties with big industry leaders to encourage a quick transition from research to industry.

[http://researchvalley.org/who-we-are/ Research Valley] is a hub that provides support to early stage startups as well as networking to quickly bring startups and technology ventures to the industry. They are built on strong industry relationships that enable the quick move to industry. 

*Relationships with
**Pfizer
**Novartis
**MDF Anderson
**Hewlett Packard
**Schlumberger
**ConocoPhillips

[http://cnve.tamu.edu/about/advisory-council/ The Mays Business School Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship] has an advisory council built from industry leaders, including leaders in finance, construction, banking, law, technology, and marketing. Additionally, they have strong relationships with local I&E institutions in the local community and the state of Texas. 

[http://engineering.tamu.edu/contact/easa The Dwight D. Look College of Engineering] within the university supports and fosters industry and nonprofit relationships within the realm of engineering.  In addition, the individual departments within the school have close ties with industry leaders and a campus presence from representatives of those businesses.

= Regional and Local Economic Development Efforts =

Texas A&M University has a relationship with a number of local institutions that are fostering local entrepreneurs and innovators.

[http://hackdfw.com HackDFW] is the sister organization to TAMUHack and sponsors the event by connecting our thinkers and builders with a myriad of diverse students, access to the DFW area's most competitive tech companies, and connecting the Texas regional hackathons together in order to increase participation and competitiveness.

[http://binaryspace.co/ Binary Space] is a professional workspace & community for entrepreneurs, creatives, and go-getters in the core of Downtown Bryan, Texas. Their vision as a diverse community of goofy, creative individuals, is to equip, collaborate, and motivate each other in a holistic environment.

[http://researchvalley.org/who-we-are/ Research Valley] is a hub that provides support to early stage startups as well as networking to quickly bring startups and technology ventures to the industry.   They are built on strong industry relationships that enables the quick move to industry.  CNVE has ties with Research Valley’s leadership. 

[http://www.bcschamber.org/ BCS Chamber] is the local chamber of commerce.  The BCS Chamber is unique in its very strong commitment and involvement in the local community.  CNVE is developing a stronger relationship with the chamber, the first steps being induction of several student startups (primarily from Startup Aggieland) as members. 

[http://cnve.tamu.edu/programs/ The May’s Business School Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship] provides programs for students and faculty, but also opens the doors of their lectures and programs to members of the local community (see [http://cnve.tamu.edu/programs/ebv/ Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans]). 

[http://www.aggie100.com/ The Aggie 100] recognizes and celebrates the top 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world.  The annual gathering hosts nearly a thousand attendees, and aims to pass the successes and strategies of the top businesses to the next generation of Aggie entrepreneurs. 

[http://communities.tamu.edu/ Texas A&M AgriLife Research] provides a community development program to provide technical assistance, grants, and workshops to communities to strengthen the foundation for economic development.  

[http://tees.tamu.edu/about/rpc/ Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station] provides networking to all Texans to find a research partner, including all the other research-capable universities in the state, and to pursue higher research opportunities. Grants provided for 3 school districts, 1 community center, and 4 hospitals. 

=== ===

= Landscape Canvas =

[https://drive.google. F][https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qa6gNU7XoOp4aswj1ZLC_I8Rmc29A5yzMurlh2L4OEE/edit?usp=sharing all 2016 Canvas]

= Landscape Presentation =

[https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1guZPj9TNkbHlm4i9gQLGil3IpHG-RQ6VR6lOVKxDW5M/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.gded0dd295_2_14 Fall 2016 Landscape Presentation] 

= =

= Related Links =

[[Texas A & M University Student Priorities]]

[[Texas A&M University Student Priorities: Part II|Texas A & M University Student Priorities Part II]]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Texas_A%26M_University_Student_Priorities:_Part_III Texas A & M University Student Priorities Part III]

[[Graham Leslie]]

[[Dean Tate]]

[[Gurlovleen Rathore|Gurlovleen_Rathore]]

[[Brendan Cooper]]

[[Jean-Claude Faa]]

[[Jeff Zhao]]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Carson_Muscat Carson Muscat]

[[/Kanika Gakhar|Kanika Gakhar]]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Momore_Adesanmi Momore Adesanmi]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Jusung_Lee Jusung Lee]

[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Mack_Ragland Mack Ragland]

[[Category:Universities]]

Fellow:Mack Ragland

2016-10-23T15:57:48Z

Rtfmack:

== [[File:MackPic.PNG|thumb]]About Me ==

I'm from a lot of places, but currently living in Texas. While I only discovered entrepreneurship a year ago, looking back, there were signs all along. I am currently working on a First Responders UAV project and I always have tons of ideas. So if you like ideas, have ambition, or are a big fan of science, I am always up for a good conversation.

[[Category: Student Contributors]]

File:MackPic.PNG

2016-10-23T15:50:45Z

Rtfmack: Profile Picture

Profile Picture

Fellow:Mack Ragland

2016-10-23T15:49:32Z

Rtfmack:

== About Me ==

I'm from a lot of places, but currently living in Texas. While I only discovered entrepreneurship a year ago, looking back, there were signs all along. I am currently working on a First Responders UAV project and I always have tons of ideas. So if you like ideas, have ambition, or are a big fan of science, I am always up for a good conversation.

Fellow:Mack Ragland

2016-10-23T15:49:12Z

Rtfmack:

I'm from a lot of places, but currently living in Texas. While I only discovered entrepreneurship a year ago, looking back, there were signs all along. I am currently working on a First Responders UAV project and I always have tons of ideas. So if you like ideas, have ambition, or are a big fan of science, I am always up for a good conversation.

Fellow:Mack Ragland

2016-10-23T15:44:01Z

Rtfmack: Created page with "<parsererror style="display: block; white-space: pre; border: 2px solid #c77; padding: 0 1em 0 1em; margin: 1em; background-color: #fdd; color: black"> === This page contains ..."

<parsererror style="display: block; white-space: pre; border: 2px solid #c77; padding: 0 1em 0 1em; margin: 1em; background-color: #fdd; color: black">
=== This page contains the following errors: ===
<div style="font-family:monospace;font-size:12px">error on line 1 at column 99: attributes construct error </div>
=== Below is a rendering of the page up to the first error. ===
</parsererror>