The remote launching code. The PSU Windrusher lawn ornament, an 18-inch football player in running stance, is the brainstorm of five engineering students enrolled in Industrial Engineering 497I. Two students in Business Administration 497C are developing a business plan and marketing strategy for the ornament's future sale in local retail stores.
Engineering students gain real-world experience solving design and manufacturing challenges.
For the student entrepreneur, the course work can turn an idea into a workable business ready for start-up upon graduation or even earlier. From concept to application The collaboration between the engineering and business colleges has its roots in a meeting last November when Pierce, who is director of the Smeal business school's junior Core Honors Program, learned about IME Inc. and saw a potential fit for students in his two-semester business course. The e-Incubator Lab will host the site that has to be functional by the end of April, said Christine Hofer, a member of the Windrusher team. It feels like we're learning very practical applications. Pierce and the engineering faculty acknowledge there are some wrinkles still to be ironed out so that students can most fully take advantage of the collaboration.