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Experiential Entrepreneurship in Food Engineering: Student Perspectives on Three Student-Initiated Ventures

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Conference

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Publication Date

August 23, 2022

Start Date

June 26, 2022

End Date

June 29, 2022

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division Technical Session 5

Page Count

13

DOI

10.18260/1-2--41611

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/41611

Download Count

533

Paper Authors

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Gary Thompson Rowan University

biography

Prince Atsu Rowan University

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Prince Atsu is a Ph.D. candidate and graduate research fellow in Chemical Engineering at Rowan
University. Recently, he participated in the NSF I-Corps Northeast Region Hub’s inaugural
cohort as an entrepreneurial lead. He joined the BioElectroChemical Engineering Laboratory
(BECEL) in 2019.

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biography

Bob Patterson Rowan University

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Recent Chemical Engineering graduate of Rowan University. I work as a Process Engineer at Electronic Fluorocarbons where I design and build processes to purify specialty gases, as well as create solutions within the semiconductor and aerospace industries. I am also the founder of High Plasma LLC a company devoted to designing and building sterilization technologies for cannabis cultivators and processors to ensure their grown product meets regulatory standards.

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Abstract

This paper presents exemplary cases of learning entrepreneurial mindset from an institution that provides faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students separate theory-driven trainings in entrepreneurship and subsequent opportunities to practice experiential learning of entrepreneurship together. A sequence of project-based learning courses in engineering brings together faculty and students to work in multi-disciplinary teams. Students gain experience solving practical, open-ended engineering problems and developing professional skills throughout their studies. Opportunity identification, feasibility analysis, product development, professional communication, leadership, and teamwork are emphasized. Both faculty mentors and students build foundations in the entrepreneurial mindset via training certificates and funding programs offered by the institution through a dedicated center in innovation and entrepreneurship. By leveraging support from these programs, student-initiated ventures become viable. Research project-based courses, accessible laboratories, and trained faculty provide an enabling environment for students to accelerate their entrepreneurial experiences. Herein, a snapshot of three concurrent student-initiated ventures into food engineering is captured. The student leaders of these ventures offer different approaches to ideation and venture initiation, especially representing three successive cohorts of students – a third-year, a fourth-year, and a newly graduated engineering student. Their backgrounds and visions vary, and the changing world, including last year’s COVID-19 pandemic and research lab shutdown, impacts them in different ways. Yet, these students share a drive to innovate and make the most of available opportunities. The perspectives of these students on the engineering entrepreneurship education they receive through this institution helps to assess and develop a framework for structuring future projects and entrepreneurship programs.

Thompson, G., & Atsu, P., & Patterson, B. (2022, August), Experiential Entrepreneurship in Food Engineering: Student Perspectives on Three Student-Initiated Ventures Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41611

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