Priorities:University of Pittsburgh Student Priorities
Contents
Overview
The University of Pittsburgh is a well-known leader in innovation within the fields of engineering and medical research. Translational research and entrepreneurship exist primarily at the institutional level. Many organizations exist, like the Institute of Entrepreneurial Excellence, to give budding entrepreneurs the needed resources and inspiration to proceed from ideation to market. In the last 20 years alone, such programs have created more than 800 startups and 7,000 jobs in the Pittsburgh area. Between the sheer amount of research conducted and available seed funding (Coulter Program for bioengineering devices, other VC connections through Institute of Entrepreneurial Excellence) Innovation and Entrepreneurship needs only to be catalyzed to take off, since all necessary ingredients are in abundance at the University of Pittsburgh.
However, there is a huge gap on campus between these institutions and undergraduate students. Most students are unaware of PantherlabWorks (a commercialization accelerator) and do not know that the university offers patent and IP counseling through the Office of Technology Management/Office of Enterprise Development. At present, these institutions mainly serve graduate students and faculty.
Fortunately, administrators are beginning to take a strong interest in university-facilitated patent development and product realization for undergraduate students. Professors from the Industrial Engineering department will soon introduce a product realization certificate to span all majors and the chemical engineering department has recently revamped its sophomore and junior year curriculum to more intently convey design principles. The mechanical engineering department, too, has been steadily increasing the focus on sustainability and marketability in undergraduate design classes, as in ‘MEMS 0024: Intro to Mechanical Engineering Design.’
Still, it is clear that there is more work to be done. In many other disciplines, serious project management/design courses are not mandatory until senior year. Further, freshman students are NEVER formally exposed to the opportunities of product development for engineers. The best opportunities for undergrads to get involved in projects are in extracurricular clubs. Engineers for Sustainable Medical Development (ESMD), Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), and Engineers Without Borders (EWB) are three of the strongest organizations on campus for completing actual projects with significant impact in local and global communities.
We seek to expand upon and merge into a community, the values and practices of these groups. Two gaps we seek to bridge as UI Fellows are as follows:
- Inspire and Forge Project Teams (applied/realized value)
- Connect product ideas that have market value with teams capable of producing them. Provide access to funding and guidance for these teams.
- Provide an incubator space (applied/realized value)
- Allow such teams to function effectively and provide the necessary inspiration/motivation to get undergraduates interested in I&E.
Calling all Students
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Academic Year Challenge
- Where: Benedum Hall, Room TBD
- When: November 19th, 2013
- RSVP: TBD
Strategy #1: Inspire and Forge Project Teams
Following are an array of strategies that will fully address Gap #1 over a 2-3 year period:
Tactic #1: Create Advisory Board/Panel to Promote I&E
• Description: Students in the Pitt Business school are currently looking to launch an entrepreneurship club- one that would connect mixed groups of students to form cohesive teams (engineering, business, law, etc. students) and validate market potential. In partnering with this effort, an advisory board for I&E would seek out possible projects and give them to an able team. It would be the goal of such a board to find the need on campus for different products, looking for possible ideas in extracurricular clubs, professors, and perhaps, industry. These projects would be assigned to a team that applies with a plan to complete them, and they would be guided to the IP resources on campus and eventually to the proper contacts in the Business school for marketing advice.
• Team Leader:: TBD
• Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize the work that would likely need to be executed, along with mm/yy]
Tactic #2: Host Seminars/Grand Challenges to Educate/Inspire
• Description: Professors in the Engineering Education Resource Center (EERC), are in the process of applying for a grant to host seminars and challenge sessions for next semester. As Innovation Fellows, we have been given the opportunity to help plan these events and hope to use them to foster support (especially at the freshman/sophomore level) for the movement. Current seminar ideas include: Dinner with entrepreneurs, microGrant challenge, skill seminars.
• Team Leader:: TBD
• Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize the work that would likely need to be executed, along with mm/yy]
Strategy #2: Provide an Incubator Space
Following are an array of strategies that will fully address Gap #2 over a 2-3 year period:
Tactic #1: Find and Create a Space
• Description: If students are now coming up with ideas or being given projects, they will need a space to work in. Also, a design room provides inspiration and success stories to work with. With UC-Berkeley and other successful UI incubator spaces as a model, this design room would serve as a hub for students interested in getting involved with projects and competitions.
• Team Leader: TBD
• Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize the work that would likely need to be executed, along with mm/yy]
Tactic #2: Technical Skills Sessions
• Description: Often, young students need to learn some basic skills before they are ready to take on a design project. One way to do this would be skills seminars in the design room that include 3D CAD drawing, arduinos, etc. Also, it may be conducive to get students to apply for machine room certification so that they can work safely in the shop when their design has reached that stage.
• Team Leader: TBD
• Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize the work that would likely need to be executed, along with mm/yy]
Tactic #3: Host Design Competitions
• Description: Another way to inspire students is to actually host design competitions in the incubator space. This could mean finding a competition through “mindsumo.com” or facilitating the completion of a project for entry in a local competition like the Randall Big Idea Competition. A winner in one of these competitions is very likely to attract many other students to the space.
• Team Leader: TBD
Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize the work that would likely need to be executed, along with mm/yy]
