Michigan Tech's David Stone has 80 students--all undergraduates--teamed up on 12 different wireless communication projects. A patent or two is in the offing, and one group may spin off a company in the next year or two. It sounds chaotic, but he says it's not. "It's their business, and I give them a lot of independence."
Now in its third year, Michigan Technological University's Enterprise Program is giving 400 students a serious introduction to the world of troubleshooting, R&D, manufacturing and market research. Students can sign up in their sophomore year for one of 17 Enterprises and typically stick with their team until they graduate.
When the Enterprise Program began with $750,000 in start-up funding from the National Science Foundation and another $766,000 from industry, it was a novel idea: assemble teams of undergraduates to solve industry problems. Three years later, it's still the only program of its kind.
"What makes Enterprise unique is that it's a multi-year program, with students of varying levels working together on real-world projects," said Mary Raber, the industrial projects coordinator. "And the level of interaction with industry also makes it special. Nobody does it the way we do."
Corporate clients provide problems or challenges, anything from improving a gasket to developing a new product, as well as funding for the teams working on the project. The teams, with the arms-length help of faculty advisors, develop solutions. Enterprise has quickly become a different way to learn.
"We're finding out that these students are taking ownership of their education," Raber said. "They're doing exactly what they need to do to be successful in the workplace, and no teacher is telling them what to do."
Stone, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, agrees. "We've had students come back from co-ops and tell us that the co-ops were like the Enterprise, except sometimes that Enterprise was more efficient," he said.
Enterprises are becoming an ornament to students' resumes, especially in a tightening job market.
"We've had a number of classes graduate, and employers love them," Stone said. "The students have unique leadership and entrepreneurial experience."
As to why other top engineering universities haven't adopted similar programs, Stone believes it's a question of priorities. "You have to be fully vested in your undergraduate program," he said.
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