Proceedings

Teaching Entrepreneurship to Engineering

Students

Engineering Conferences International Year 2003

National Collegiate Inventors and

innovators Alliance: Resources for

Building Entrepreneurial Programs

Phil WeilersteinNational Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance

This paper is posted at ECI Digital Archives.

http://dc.engconfintl.org/teaching/32

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Information Inspiration Action

The NCIIA supports invention, innovation,and entrepreneurship education at U.S.colleges and universities by providingfaculty and students from our memberinstitutions with grants and resources toencourage the formation and work ofE-Teams (the “E” is for excellence andentrepreneurship).

E-Teams are multidisciplinary teams ofstudents, faculty, and industry advisors whowork together to develop a product ortechnology with potential for commercialsuccess. The NCIIA is increasingly interested insupporting E-Teams whose work isenvironmentally sustainable and sociallybeneficial. E-Teams bring learning beyond theclassroom and into the real-life experience ofcommercial development.

Grants

Each year the NCIIA provides approximately$1 million in grants to its members in a semi-annual review cycle (deadlines: May 15 andDecember 15). Proposals for Course andProgram and Advanced E-Team grants arereviewed by panels of business and engineeringfaculty, industry representatives, and venturecapitalists.

Course and Program Grants

The NCIIA awards course and program grantsto faculty and staff from our member institutionswho propose to create a new course or programor enhance one already in place through theaddition of interdisciplinary elements or newapproaches that will lead to the formation of E-Teams. Course and program grants aredesigned to create institutional change, and tofoster an entrepreneurial approach totechnological education.

Funded Courses and ProgramsUndergraduate

Wireless Entrepreneurs Program, Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyRose-Hulman Institute of Technology received an NCIIA grant for $28,000 for ajoint program with the Florida Institute of Technology to develop entrepreneurialundergraduate programs in the area of wireless communication and radio-related fields.

Technology Venture Sequence; Technology Venture Academy, Universityof Florida

The University of Florida received a grant for $24,000 for these two interrelatedprograms, designed to provide students in technical and business disciplineswith the opportunity to create new technology ventures based on technologydeveloped at the University of Florida.

UCSB Curriculum in Innovation, Entrepreneurship, University of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraUCSB received a grant for $23,500 to create a three-course series in Innovation,Entrepreneurship, and Business Fundamentals, leading to a permanent set ofcourses on 1) Business Fundamentals; 2) Innovation and New Venture Creation;

d 3) B i Pl i fo V l C tio

Funded Courses and ProgramsGraduateCaltech Entrepreneurial Fellows Program, California Institute ofTechnologyCaltech received a $10,000 grant for dissemination of the results of a programjointly funded with NSF to enable students previously trained in science,engineering, or design to adapt their skills to the development of commercialproducts in a start-up environment.

An Integrated Approach to Technological Innovation, Georgia Institute ofTechnologyGeorgia Tech received a $30,000 grant to support a team-based programencouraging students from science, engineering, management, law, andeconomics to explore technology transfer from every angle. The program placesinterest-matched Ph.D. students in S&E and professional students in MLE onentrepreneurial teams (E-teams) that focus on the commercial potential of thePh.D. students’ research.

Master of Science in Physics - Entrepreneurship Track, Case WesternUniversityCase Western received a grant for $22,500 to partially fund implementation of anew Master’s in Physics-Entrepreneurship Program.

Funded Courses and Programs

BiomedicalTechnical Entrepreneurship, University of Miami

The University of Miami received an NCIIA grant for $21,800 over three years tostrengthen its Technical Entrepreneurship program by reaching out to businessstudents, providing continuity for E-Teams, and establishing a Design andEntrepreneurship Center at the university.

Assistive Technology Devices, University of Rhode Island

The University of Rhode Island received a grant for $26,800 to establish a 2-semester course sequence preparing students in the design, development, andmarketing of assistive technology devices.

Biomedical Technology Innovation Program, Stanford University

The Stanford University School of Medicine, in cooperation with Stanford’sMedical Device Network, the School of Engineering and the Graduate School ofBusiness, received a $22,000 grant to support the distance educationcomponent of a new postgraduate training program in Biomedical TechnologyInnovation.

A Sampling ofBiomedical AdvancedE-Team Projects

Breastaugmentation is thesecond mostcommon cosmeticsurgery procedurein the U.S. Meetinga demand for adevice that wouldprovide a minimallyinvasive approach,an E-Team at theUniversity of Miamidevised a trans-axillary breastimplant placementinstrument, withsupport from anNCIIA grant.

About 1.4 millionlower extremityfractures occurannually in the US.While only portionsof these casesrequire surgery,most requirephysical therapy. AJohns HopkinsUniversity E-Teamdeveloped a footsensor that helpspatients gauge howmuch pressure theybear on their injury.

A StanfordUniversity E-Teamdeveloped theMarrowMiner, abone marrowaspiration devicewhich through asingle bone punctureof the ileac crest,enables harvest ofthe majority of thebone marrowcontained within.This device shortensthe procedure froman hour-long$15,000 harvestdone with a team inthe operating roomto 15 minutesperformed by onephysician in theoutpatient setting.

An E-Team from theUniversity of Pittsburghhas developed anOxygen Flow Indicatorfor Hospital Transport.This device monitorsthe flow of oxygenthrough patients'tubes, preventingdecompensationcaused by a kink intubing or depletion ofoexygen supply. In theevent of supply failure,an inline impellerprovides a visual alertto the attendant.

Advanced E-Team Grants

The NCIIA awards advanced E-Team grants toE-Teams from our member institutions that havean idea ripe for commercial development.Advanced E-Team grant proposals areevaluated based on the product or technology’spotential for sustainability and commercialization,its potential to bring about social orenvironmental benefits, and the professionaland demographic diversity of the team.

The PurdueUniversity MatrixNMR E-Team isdeveloping a newtechnology for theNuclear MagneticResonance industry.The new NMR probedesign significantlyreduces the cost andtime required toperform NMRanalysis.

The University of Georgia’s Aqua Vitae Enterprises E-Team plans to manufacture, market, and distribute apatented new protease inhibitor that reduces the mortalityrate of ornamental and edible fish from over 50% to under5% during the process of handling and shipping, bytemporarily boosting the fish’s immune system. The E-Team is working to determine the optimal performance andpackaging characteristics the ornamental and edible fishindustries would seek in such a drug, and developing aplan for bringing it to market.

The Glow-Bike E-Team from theUniversity of Florida is

developing a novel method toilluminate bicycles, improving

nighttime riding safety. The bikeuses electroluminescent (EL)

panels, commonly found inwatches, night-lights, and otherelectronic products. The panelsare attached to a bicycle frameand wheels, providing a distinctlight signature in the shape of a

bicycle, making drivers awarethat a bicyclist is sharing the

road.

The Cooper Cooler,created by an E-Teamat the Cooper Union,spins a can or bottleat high speed under astream of ice water,cooling it to just abovefreezing in about aminute.

A Sampling of FundedAdvanced E-TeamProjects

Other Resources

In an effort to foster mentoring, help buildinfrastructure, and support and encourage theinstitutionalization of technologicalentrepreneurship programs, the NCIIA offers avariety of resources, from online and printedmaterials to technical and commercializationexpertise, advice, and services.

NCIIA Member ResourcesOn our website:• Curricular models for faculty reference

• Brief descriptions of funded projects, courses and programs

• Online student guides: Getting Started as an Entrepreneur, and The EntreclubHandbook (also available in print)

• Intellectual Property Policies database

• (Coming soon) E-Team Assessment instruments and data

Resource partners:• N2TEC: The National Network for Technology Entrepreneurship and

Commercialization

• RAPID: Network of Rapid Prototyping Service Providers

• National Instruments Equipment Grants

• EDS Product Lifecycle Software Grants

• WISC: Wisconsin Innovation Service Center

• Kauffman Entrepreneurship Workshops

NCIIA 7th Annual MeetingBig Ideas in a Small WorldBoston, MA: March 20-22,2003Royal Sonesta HotelCambridge, MA

Information Inspiration Action

Contact us:Phil Weilerstein, Executive Director

pweilerstein@nciia.org

NCIIA

100 Venture Way

Hadley, MA 01035

Tel. (413) 587-2172 Fax. (413) 587-2175

www.nciia.org info@nciia.org