He says teaming up with corporations like Motorola has been an invaluable tool for students eager for experience and corporate leaders interested in new ideas. But BYU is out there pushing the outer limits. Our partnership with Motorola has been really great for both of us. Scott Richards of Motorola's industrial design group worked in conjunction with BYU on the student program. Richards says the collaboration has proved to be mutually beneficial.
Students learn by far the most when they work with industry to develop real-world design solutions.
Hoping to change this notion and break into new markets, Motorola charged BYU students to investigate the lifestyles of customers who might use a hand-held radio to communicate. Student research discovered that skiers, bicyclists, mountain climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts would readily accept the reinvented technology for use in their sporting activities. With this market segment in mind, the 34-member class developed its designs, choosing the best two. The chosen student designers and BYU faculty presented their own concepts and those of the entire class to Motorola engineers and designers. Kevin Ketchum, one of the two student designers who presented his plans to Motorola, graduated from BYU in 1997.