Organization:Epicenter - National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation
Contents
Overview
The National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter) was founded as a National Science Foundation funded STEM center. Epicenter formed in 2012 from a five-year grant awarded to Stanford University and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance. In 2016, the Epicenter's grant expired. Epicenter offered entrepreneurship and innovation programs for engineering faculty and students; partnered with leaders in academia and government to build a national entrepreneurship agenda in engineering; conducted research on higher education models; hosted online classes and resources; and formed communities around entrepreneurship in engineering education. Though Epicenter is no longer funded, many of the entrepenurship and innovation programs that were established have continued on.
Epicenter believes that teaching engineering students entrepreneurship and innovation as part of their undergraduate education will help them make a real impact. To be prepared to enter the work force and thrive in this ever-changing global economy, they need to be flexible, resilient, creative, empathetic, and have the ability to recognize and seize opportunities.
Mission
The Epicenter's mission is to unleash the entrepreneurial potential of undergraduate engineering students across the United States to create bold innovators with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute to economic and societal prosperity. For more, visit epicenter.stanford.edu.
Activities Offered
The Epicenter continually develops new programmatic opportunities to offer faculty and students engaging ways to support entrepreneurship and innovation learning in undergraduate engineering education.
Student Support
Epicenter is providing new opportunities for undergraduate engineering students across the country as part of the University Innovation Fellows program (formerly the Student Ambassadors Program). UI Fellows catalyze innovation on their home campuses by holding events and creating networks that inspire and foster student entrepreneurship. The Spring 2014 enrollment deadline is February 28.
Faculty Development
Epicenter offers conferences and workshops for engineering faculty that provide exposure to new tools, approaches and methodologies for delivering innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. The annual OPEN Conference, hosted by NCIIA and Epicenter, brings together professionals in the field of technology entrepreneurship education. The Lean LaunchPad Educators Program aims at introducing best practices in innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship education into existing engineering courses. The Epicenter Retreat provided the opportunity for engineering and entrepreneurship educators to participate in hands-on collaborative sessions.
Research
The Epicenter research team is examining models for education engineers in entrepreneurial thinking; undergraduate engineering students' entrepreneurial interests, abilities and achievements; and the integration of entrepreneurship activities into "traditional" engineering courses.
Online Classes and Resources
Providing a collection of easily accessible online classes, stories, tools and events allows Epicenter to help make entrepreneurship and innovation resources accessible to engineering students and faculty nationwide. Students can use this content to supplement their engineering courses, learn about their fellow students' activities, and discover new techniques and ideas outside the classroom. Faculty can benefit from these resources to inform their own classes and activities at their universities, and to learn about other types of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems in higher education.
Leadership Engagement
Epicenter is working with leaders in academia and government to encourage a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship as core priorities in engineering education. It aims to influence the national agenda around innovation and entrepreneurship through collaborations with our country's leaders in engineering and entrepreneurship, and participation in engineering leadership events such as the American Society for Engineering Education annual conference and the Engineering Deans Institute.
Get Involved
Get involved with Epicenter and join innovative, entrepreneurial engineering faculty and students from around the country at these upcoming events and opportunities.
University Innovation Fellows
Deadline for spring training: February 10, 2014
Nominated by their deans and faculty, University Innovation Fellows are engineering student leaders who catalyze innovation on their home campuses by holding events and creating networks that inspire and foster student entrepreneurship. Learn more about how to apply, and read about the students' activities.
OPEN 2014
Held March 21-22, 2014, in San Jose, California
Co-hosted by NCIIA and Epicenter, this annual conference is the premier event for faculty and university leadership to learn about the latest developments in technology entrepreneurship in higher education and share models and success stories from campuses across the nation. Learn more about the 2014 conference.
Lean Launch Pad Educators Program
Held January 22-24, 2014, at UC Berkeley
This workshiop, hosted by NCIIA in collaboration with Epicenter, will challenge faculty to rethink their approach to teaching entrepreneurship. The Lean LaunchPad emphasizes planning before the plan and searching for a business model before execution. Learn more about the January program.
Online Resources
Epicenter's series of online courses aims to enhance the educational experience in entrepreneurship and innovation. Read about our recent open online courses Crash Course on Creativity and Design Thinking Action Lab. Epicenter also offers a constantly-growing collection of stories, events and teaching tools for engineering students and faculty.
Contact Information
Mailing Address
National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation
STVP, Huang Engineering Center, Suite 004
MC 4026
475 Via Ortega
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-4121
Comments or questions can be sent to epicenter@stanford.edu.