School:University of California Merced

Overview

The University of California, Merced is the United States’ first research university of the twenty-first century and is located in the heart of the Central Valley. Only recently founded in 2005, it’s still an adolescent campus with room for growth and new ideas as the campus grows in size. UC Merced has the innovative outlook necessary for to put into practice ambitious, forward-thinking ideas as its faculty and administration are constantly looking for new opportunities to explore to create a strong infrastructure for entrepreneurship.  Innovation stems from our research labs, student run projects and organizations. As it realizes its potential, UC Merced will solve real world problems and produce innovative technologies to advance society.  

Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Coursework

E&J Gallo Management Program

There is no formal emphasis, major, or minor available at UC Merced in the field of entrepreneurship. UC Merced offers a course in Entrepreneurship (MGMT 180) under the E&J Gallo Management Program which encourages students to have experience creating products, crafting business plans, and delivering pitches. Starting in Spring semester 2014, management and economics students from this program have begun collaborating with engineering students in the Capstone program. They will help Capstone groups to find ways to market their products.

Intellectual Property for Engineers and Scientists

The School of Engineering hosts a class about intellectual property that convenes on Saturdays. ENGR 192 is a class that is intended for engineers which teaches them the aspects of patent and intellectual property law. It is geared towards undergraduate and graduate students who may pursue a career in research and technology. They examine the laws behind Intellectual Property, covering material on copyrights for technology protection, trademarks, trade secrets, patent information including the patenting process, claim drafting, design patents, engineering ethics, and more.

Innovate to Grow

Innovation Design Clinic - Capstone

Capstone Design / Innovation Design Clinic (ME 170) is a course in which engineering students form teams and compete against each other as part of a competition.The Innovation Design Clinic, aka Capstone, is somewhat similar to the Engineering Service Learning program except the program is more structured--engineering students are placed into teams that are tasked with creating specific projects. Together they create a solution to a problem that has been designated to them by either industry or by the course. Teams are cross disciplinary in the sense that they have students from management and business backgrounds integrated into their respective team. Twenty-three teamsthen presented to the general public and investors at the annual Innovation to Grow event.

Foster Family Center for Engineering Service Learning

Under the School of Engineering is the Foster Family Center for Engineering Service Learning program, which allows student groups to exercise their creative problem-solving abilities and project management skills while earning units. Student teams partner with community stakeholders under faculty advisors and exercise a great level of independence. Though their respective projects are guided by faculty advisors, in general they determine their own course of action, organization, and short-term goals. Student teams are generally self-organized. This forces them to think innovatively and run their projects like entrepreneurs. Students from all majors are welcome to join the program, if they choose. At the end of the semester, the three best Engineering Service Learning teams will be participating in the Innovate to Grow competition.

Mobile App Challenge - CITRIS

UCMMobileAppChallenge.JPG

The Mobile App Challenge is a competition hosted by CITRIS, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society. CITRIS is an institution at UC campuses that helps groundbreaking research obtain funding and helps to incubate research into startups. Students form teams to develop mobile apps that can solve a variety of issues to their choosing. The Software Engineering course (CSE 120) in the School of Engineering is required to participate in the challenge. Teams compete for a cash prize in front of a panelist of judges--the top 5 teams of the Mobile App Challenge then move on to compete in Innovate to Grow.

Innovate to Grow Organization

Campus Events

Flash Talks - Career Services Center

This is a pitch event where students have 20 minutes to present 20 slides based on a project that they’re a part of--which is more geared towards those students already participating in Mobile App Challenge, Engineering Service Learning, and Capstone but can be more broadly applied to students with any significant project that they wish to present. Student researchers may also find themselves as a part of the project. This event is meant to help students exercise their presentation giving skills and to reward those who are successful in both their presentation and their respective projects. Students compete against one another for a cash prize.

Entrepreneurial Seminar and Pitchfest Competition - TESUM

TESUM stands for The Entrepreneurs Society at UC Merced, which is a student-run RCO (Registered Club Organization) which is hosting a pitch competition for students where entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. The judges are made up of entrepreneurs, IP lawyers and angel investors. The Entrepreneurial Seminar and Pitch fest competition also hosts workshops which are intended to support student entrepreneurs. The competition was partially funded by the student government at UC Merced, ASUCM (Associated Students of UC Merced).