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Priorities:Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Student Priorities

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=== Overview: ===

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Landscape Canvas at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is relatively well-established but is severely lacking in student involvement This lack of involvement stems from a </span~~>lack~~ofof exposure to the resources available on campus and an unclear "access point" for students to begin their involvement in the I&E Ecosystem at Rensselaer.

Though there is a lack of involvement, Rensselaer clearly values entrepreneurship, as indicated by an excerpt of The Rensselaer Plan found below:

**Expand opportunities for students to create innovation by increasing the number of hands-on courses, such as: Introduction to Engineering Design, Inventors Studio, and Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory; programs such as Product Design and Innovation, and competitions such as the Formula SAE car project.

**Provide opportunities for students to work in settings where technology is being commercialized, such as entrepreneurial faculty projects, internships, and co-op experiences.

**Create opportunities in the Rensselaer Union and in the residence halls for students to propose, design, and implement projects, processes, and organizations. **~~= Expanding Innovation & Entrepreneurship on Campus = == Needs, Mindsets, Ideas & Potential Action Items for Advancement == #~~The joint venture between the NCIIA and Epicenter is all about '''values '''and '''empowering''' students, with the goal of bringing ideas to life that will be beneficial to society and to the economy. Values such as raising people, especially the most needy, out of poverty and helping them fulfill their potential. These are the kind of values that students must be empowered with and that must be ingrained into engineering education.

=== Why does RPI curriculum need to be revamped? ===

**''Start with Why'' - Michael Sinek

Students and professors must be fully aware of the fact that t'''he world has changed'''. Acknowledgment is not enough. RPI has an opportunity to be one of the LEADERS in using technology to benefit billions of people. Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, the President of RPI, has made innovation and entrepreneurship one of the key goals in the Refresh Rensselaer Plan. ~~HER LEADERSHIP MUST BE EMPHASIZED.~~ Her input, and that of the Provost and the Deans at RPI must be heard. Their suggestions regarding the efforts to expand the ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship at RPI must be noted and vocalized; the department heads and heads of curriculumin each department at RPI must be drilled down with this information.

=== It is so very important to provide students with '''the right skills.''' ===

“Knowledge and Thoroughness” is the current RPI motto, along with "Why not change the world?" But what will, and should, the new motto be?  "Change the world" is too vague and does not adequately point out the '''threats '''posed by inequalities. Students need to learn to see opportunities without being told what to do, and they need to make their visions into reality. They can't sit back asking "Why not change the world?" but rather, they need to sit back and say "How can I change the world?" "What is the next step?" "What difference can I make TODAY?" and "Am I doing work that is making an impact? Am I building the ~~skillsets~~ skill sets I need?"

Technology must be focused on making life better for the 99%, not for the elite and their fancier kitchens, cars, or toys. If students learn to focus on the most needy, then everyone can use the technology. There are many people right in North Troy, New York who are struggling to survive.  THEY are our customers, not the 1%.

*Creating a location for students to collaborate on school work, independent studies, and startups. 

**Our school lacks a facility where students can work 24hours a day. While we do have some facilities that contain machinery and work tables, most are only open during the hours of 8am-6pm, the exact time when most students are in classes. After interviewing RPI students, it has become apparent that opening a facility open 24 hours would greatly benefit them by giving them an environment where they can work for long periods of time, when they don't have classes, and with other students.

**We are in the process of securing a location in the "J-Building" on campus to serve as a Makerspace. We are continuing to interview students about how much this space would benefit them and how they would like it to be set up.

=== '''OVERALL GOAL FOR RPI:''' ===

'''Change the culture and curriculum of RPI to get more students involved with entrepreneurship and provide a location where students can apply what they have learned to their own personal startups.'''

'''OVERALL GOAL:''' '''Change the culture and curriculum of RPI to get more students involved with entrepreneurship and provide a location where students can apply what they have learned to their own personal startups.'''

= '''Related Links''' = [[Meghan Olson|'''Meghan Olson''']] [http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Ray_Parker Ray Parker] [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute|'''Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute''']] [[Category:Student Priorities|Student_Priorities]]~~ ~~

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