INNOVATE @ SCU

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Do You Think Like An Entrepreneur?  Thinking like an entrepreneur isn't limited to only people who create their own Silicon Valley startup. Being entrepreneurial is a state of mind.  For engineers, it means not just focusing on the technology we love, but finding out how to harness the power of that technology to solve real problems for real people - and to do it in a way that is financially and logistically sustainable.  Whether you want to work for a large company, as part of a social enterprise, or even in a start-up, being entrepreneurial is critical to helping your organization prosper and serve the world.  Join us in developing our entrepreneurial capabilities - we have a wide range of opportunities for you, from programs and courses to project-based opportunities to extra-curricular activities.
Spring Lunch with an Entrepreneur -  Wed, April 24, 12:00-1:00 - RSVP!
 
Join us for our Lunch with an Entrepreneur event with guest speaker Greg Defouw.  RSVP required by Tuesday April 23 to amahacek @ scu.edu.  The event will be held in the Frugal Lab Multipurpose Room in Rm 404, Bannan Engineering.
 
Greg Defouw is an experienced entrepreneur who has been a part of a number of early stage companies.  While in graduate school at Stanford University, he and his advisor decided to leave to start a company building miniature computers.  Greg's journey in this endeavor took a surprising and unfortunate turn.  Since then, Greg has continued to help and advise small businesses in a number of interesting and valuable ways.  In this talk, Greg will share some of his experiences, lessons learned, and most of all an enthusiasm for launching companies.  And speaking of "launching," Greg is currently the lead software engineer on a NASA Ames small spacecraft development team that will launch a science satellite later this year - and this satellite will be controlled by Santa Clara students!
$2,000 Design Challenge: "Space - The Value Proposition."  With our partner - NASA! 
 
Your challenge - if you choose to accept it - is to create a 1 minute YouTube video that concisely states the "value proposition" of space, that highlights the exciting developments in the rapidly evolving commercial space market, and that expresses what YOU believe NASA's future role in space should be.
 
Complete details on this competition as well as ongoing announcements regarding the program are HERE.  Teams will have about a month to create their entry. 
 
Additional NASA Events - please RSVP! 
 
- Lunchtime Talk - Wednesday May 1, 12-1 pm: "Space Commercialization," by Dr. Dan Rasky and Bruce Pittman, NASA Ames Research Center.  Lunch included - RSVP to amahacek @ scu.edu
- NASA Ames Tour - Wednesday May 8, 1:30 - 3:00 pm:  See some of the featured facilities at NASA Ames Research Center to include the arcjet facility, the "hyperwall", and the Future Flight Central testbed.  This opportunity is limited to 20 people, and all attendees must be US citizens or green card holders.  You must RSVP to amahacek @ scu.edu.
- Evening reception and presentation - Thursday May 16, 5 - 6:30, Frugal Lab:  Join us as personnel from NASA Johnson Space Center present the NASA ORION program.  Refreshments included.  RSVP to amahacek @ scu.edu
- Mentoring dinner - Wednesday May 22, 6 - 7:30, Nobili Dining Room: Join us for an end-of-year mentoring reception with engineers and scientists from NASA and other local aerospace companies.  RSVP to amahacek @ scu.edu

Spring 2013 Innovation & Entrepreneurship Activities
Weeks 1-10 Maker Lab Training Classes - contact amahacek @ scu.edu
Week 3 SCEO Alumni Social, April 19
Week 4, Wed   April 24 Lunch with an Entrepreneur, Greg Defouw, Defouw Engineering - RSVP to amahacek @ scu.edu
Week 4 SCEO Business Plan Competition - details HERE
Weeks 4-8 $2,000 Design Competition with partner NASA Ames 
Week 5 Seminar: The Revolution in Commercial Space, Dr. Dan Rasky, NASA Office of Space Commercialization
Week 6 Tour: NASA Ames Research Center with tour stops to include the giant wind tunnel, the Future Flight center, and the astronaut training centrifuge
Week 7 Presentation: The NASA ORION program, presented by personnel from NASA Johnson Space Center
Week 7 Entrepreneurship Bootcamp:  The Santa Clara Coffee Company - A Lesson in Accounting & Finance, Dr. Al Bruno, Leavey School of Business
Week 8 Mentoring Reception, KEEN innovation project lab in SCU/RSL Building 554, NASA Research Park
Congrats To Recent Competition Winners!  Our congratulations to the student winners of several of our recent innovation and entrepreneurship challenges:
  • Elevator Pitch Competition: Engineering students took first and second place in the Santa Clara Entrepreneurship Organization student club's elevator pitch competition in February.  Thomas Fairman placed first with an iPhone app that integrates music and fitness in a new way. Robert Ross took second place with an arduino controlled robot desk toy with customizable behaviors. 
  • E-Week Scavenger Hunt: Students Kendra Lane, Jenpop Allport and Mey-Ling Leon beat 7 other teams to win the SCU Innovation Scavenger hunt during E-Week.  This event required students to learn about the heritage of innovation and entrepreneurship at SCU and to locate relevant locations on campus.
  • $2,000 Maker SWAG Challenge: The student team of Erin Hicks, Killian Poroe, Jenpop Allport and Landon Calannio edged out 5 other teams to win the Maker SWAG Challenge.  This team created beautiful 6 inch rulers to commemorate the School's Centennial.  Their work was so good that the School ordered 300 units, and the team came through by delivering them on time and under budget!  The runner ups created a wonderful puzzle set of 4 coasters, each with a photograph of a historic event in SCU engineering history.

$1,000 Business Plan Competition -  SCU's entrepreneurship club, SCEO, is holding their annual business plan competition during the evening of April 25.  Top prize is $1,000, and it is easy to enter.  See details HERE.

Maker Lab Training Sessions - 130+ Students/Staff/Faculty Trained So Far!  Spring quarter Maker Lab training sessions have begun.    There are several types of training courses, each relevant to the use of specific Lab equipment.  The Basic Training class is the first class to take, and it is a prerequisite for all other training courses.  Space is limited for each session; a minimum of 3 students per training session is required or the session may be cancelled.  STUDENT SHOULD BRING THEIR PHOTO ID TO THE TRAINING SESSIONS. To enroll, contact Anne Mahacek at amahacek @ scu.edu.

You can join the SCU Maker Lab Community Group on Camino.  Lab announcements, training session times, open lab hour times and other information regarding the Maker lab are posted at this location.  To join, log into Camino, select "Find a Group" from the Community Groups window on your home page, search "Maker" and then select "Enroll" next to SCU Maker Lab.  The SCU Maker Lab group should now appear in your Community Groups window on your home page.  Log in frequently to keep up with activities!
Industry Tour - Liquid Robotics
A dozen students attended the Fall quarter industry tour at local robotics start-up Liquid Robotics.  SCU alums Will Anderson and Matt Ambauen, who both currently work at this company, hosted the SCU contingent.  Students toured the production facility and the operations room, and they also heard presentations on the companies business model and initiatives.
 
Lunch with an Entrepreneur:  Thanks to entrepreneur Dante Zavier for a great lunch talk in which he discussed his work with three local engineering start-ups.  Last Fall, local entrepreneur Shane Rogers talked about his three start-ups, one of which is a social venture.  Shane has graciously shared his slides from his presentation.  This Spring, local engineering entrepreneur Greg Defouw will talk about his experiences in industry, with NASA, and with his own start-up ventures.
 
-----   Getting Involved    -----
 
Interested in engineering innovation and entrepreneurship? There are many ways you can get involved with SCU's new opportunities for engineers interested in this area.

Join the Club - Join the Santa Clara Entrepreneurs Organization (SCEO), a student club focused on innovation and entrepreneurship. [website]

Get a Mentor - Join us at our next mentoring reception to meet and network with practicing engineers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The first event for the new academic year will be held in November - Check back here for information and timing once the schedule is set.. 

Enter a Competition - Several student-based competitions in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship are held each year, and others are available to join throughout the Silicon Valley. [information]

Attend a Seminar - Seminars are held throughout the campus with speakers on the forefront of technology innovation, Silicon Valley startups, and technology corporations. 

Take a Class - Expand your horizons by taking a class to hone your business acumen, learn product design techniques, or engineer community based projects. 

Select the Pathway - The Design Thinking Pathway is dedicated to the concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship.  Stay tuned for more information on a new Certificate Program that is under development.
The Design Thinking Pathway - The Most Popular Pathway on Campus! Looking for a Core Curriculum Pathway? Consider taking the Design Thinking Pathway, which focuses on on a) technical innovation, b) design processes that allow innovation to be incorporated into products/services/systems that solve a customer need, c) enterprise strategies for harnessing the value and ensuring the sustainability of innovative products, and d) social aspects regarding the value and impact of innovation on the world.  Contact Dr. Ruth Davis or Dr. Kitts for additional information.
Joint KEEN Projects - As part of a new initiative with collaborating universities in the KEEN network, SCU students are now jointly developing and operating several engineering systems with students at St. Louis University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Baylor University, and other universities across the country.  

The first project, conducted in cooperation with NASA and NOAA, involves the development of a fleet of robotic kayaks to perform advanced sensing of the marine environment. The second project involves the operation of communication stations that are being used to support the on-orbit control of the NASA O/OREOS spacecraft.  

To get involved, contact Dr. Kitts.

KEEN - Many of our Innovation and Entrepreneurship initiatives are supported through our involvement with  KEEN - Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network.  
 
KEEN concentrates on curricular enhancements to the undergraduate educational program and on co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that foster the spirit of innovation and the entrepreneurial mindset within the School and across our campus. KEEN is sponsored by the Kern Family Foundation and includes partner universities across the country.
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