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=== '''Our Plan:''' ===
*Expand the Institute’s fundamental research activity in technological entrepreneurship and the management of innovation. ***Teach the fundamentals of entrepreneurship — and intrapreneurship — to students across all majors, establishing a general curriculum requirement in this area. **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.
**<span style="color:#ff0000;">= 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 </span><span style="color:#ff0000;">most needy</span><span style="color:#ff0000;">, 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 </span><span style="color:#ff0000;">into</span><span style="color:#ff0000;">engineering education.</span>
=== Why does RPI curriculum need to be revamped? <br/> ===
A majority of RPI student want to make a difference in the world. They want to change it for the better for billions of people. But, they must be equipped with the right skill sets in order to do so. Innovative and entrepreneurial thinking must be better ingrained into their education. They must learn that TECHNOLOGY has the ability to play a critical role in solving these kinds of problems. Leveraging the power of smartphones, sensors, and the Internet is key in order to create DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES for health, education, environment, and raising the standard of living. Integrating these values into engineering education is key to empowering students to develop a strong sense of empathy and a passionate desire to take action.
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 <u>key goals</u> in the Refresh Rensselaer Plan. <span style="color:#ff0000;">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 </span><span style="color:#ff0000;">curriculum</span><span style="color:#ff0000;">in each department at RPI must be drilled down with this information.</span>
=== <span style="color:#ff0000;"></span>'''What we teach MUST change'''<br/> ===
''' '''Professor Tina Seelig said it beautifully in her Innovation Engineer talk - we must learn how to think in the terms of "? + ? = 10" not "5 + 5 = ?". Sure, “engineers make sure bridges don’t fall down," it is their responsibility. But engineers can also create ''new ways to communicate'', ''new paths to education'', and ''new technology ''that makes it possible for any one person, anywhere in the world, to get the best possible healthcare and education.
Another beautiful example is Max Little's TED talk about Parkinson’s diagnosis. His innovation is '''massively scalable''', continues to learn, and costs essentially nothing. Shouldn’t healthcare, education, and opportunity fit the same requirements? Why aren't students stretched to reach for the ideal in their designs?
=== It is so very important to provide students with '''the right skills.''' ===
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%.
=== '''What are the barriers to succeeding?'''<span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span> ===
=== 1) School Curriculum ===
The Early Adopters and Getting the Movement Started
* Faculty Reach
** The''' '''faculty certainly have not been forced to think differently like this, but they MUST now be encouraged to think differently
**Start with a few faculty members - the “early adopters” - who will introduce creativity, opportunity-finding, innovation, and an entrepreneurial ATTITUDE into their courses.
* Events that Inspire
**Encourage students to take their academics more seriously, and look at their learning as an opportunity to develop their portfolio of skill sets that will equip them with the tools to make a difference in the world.
**Gain support from alumni and from companies who hire RPI graduates.
**Reach out to companies that advise each of the departments on campus and get input on changing the curriculum.
=== 3) Maker Space ===
*Creating a location for students to collaborate on school work, independent studies, and startups.
<span style="font-size:x-large;">'''OVERALL GOAL:'''</span> <span style="font-size:x-large;">'''Change the culture of RPI and get more students involved with entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives on campus and provide a location where students can apply what they have learned on campus to their own personal startups.'''</span>