From Western Carolina University:
CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina University is among 14 higher education institutions in the U.S. selected to participate in a National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation program that is designed to help schools fully incorporate innovation and entrepreneurship into undergraduate engineering education.
Titled the Pathways to Innovation Program, the initiative is funded by the National Science Foundation and is directed by Stanford University and VentureWell, a nonprofit higher education network.
WCU’s Pathways team includes Scott Pierce, assistant professor of engineering in the Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology; Pat Gardner, director of the Kimmel School’s Center for Rapid Product Realization; and Ed Wright, director of WCU’s Corporation for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
“The WCU Pathways team is excited to join this group of faculty teams committed to incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship into engineering education,” Pierce said. “We have the opportunity to collaborate and learn with educators from the best engineering schools in the country to bring entrepreneurship into the classroom.”
Tom Byers is director of the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (also referred to as Epicenter) and is a professor at Stanford University. “Today, engineering and computer science students are expected to enter industry with technical knowledge as well as a diverse set of mindsets, skillsets and attitudes that help them innovate, collaborate and create value,” Byers said. “As educators, we need to better prepare this generation of students for the workforce, position them for success in their careers and give them more opportunities to bring their innovative ideas to life.”
The 14 new Pathways teams join a community of 36 institutional teams that are already participating in the program.
“This is an excellent opportunity for our students in the Kimmel School to build upon our project-based learning curriculum in engineering and engineering technology by promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development in our region,” said Jeffrey Ray, Kimmel School dean. The Kimmel School houses WCU’s programs in engineering, construction and technology.
The faculty teams at participating schools assess their institution’s offerings, design a strategy for change, and lead their peers in incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship into engineering education. The teams receive access to models for integrating entrepreneurship into the engineering curriculum, custom online resources, networking opportunities, guidance from a community of engineering and entrepreneurship faculty, and membership in a national network of schools with similar goals.
WCU is in the third and final cohort being added to the Pathways to Innovation Program. “Our two cohorts of Pathways schools have made a tremendous and lasting impact on the education of their students,” said Victoria Matthew, Pathways program leader and senior program officer at VentureWell. “We are thrilled to welcome these 14 new teams to our national community so we can continue to work together on transforming engineering education.”
For more information, contact WCU’s Kimmel School at 828-227-7368 or jeffray@wcu.edu.
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