REU Site: Growing Entrepreneurially-Minded Undergraduate Researchers with New Product Development in Applied Energy

The goal of this project is to provide engineering technology students with a research experience that combines the best aspects of academic applied research, such as strong theory basis and rigorous scholarship, with essential business practices such as real-world customer discovery and the generation of sound business plans. This REU Site project is unique in that it offers an entrepreneurship-integrated, applied energy research experience in the Midwest United States.

The concentration on entrepreneurship-integration will lead to new product development skillsets including customer discovery and business model validation. By the end of the summer program, students are expected to “get out of the building” and conduct a minimum quantity of customer discovery interviews, as the first step in the commercialization process.

The customer discovery process will assist students in establishing the motivation for applied energy research first-hand. The intentions behind the concentration on applied energy research supports NSF’s mission to promote the progress of science. First, energy generation and distribution methods have been evolving rapidly over the last few years.

Bulk energy production done by large-scale energy generators is being complemented by small-scale energy production, where local homeowners are the greatest beneficiaries of smart grid technology and smart energy generation and distribution techniques. However, the increased number of players, variability in electricity production, and potential for bad actors poses challenges and risks to the energy infrastructure resulting in increased costs to the grid. All five REU projects are aimed to combat these challenges and risks.

This REU experience will empower students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, enhancing their research toolbox and skillset. The project will recruit junior and senior level engineering and engineering technology students. The intended impact is twofold.

First, is the professional development of 30 undergraduate students (across three years) in an experience that encapsulates both applied energy research and entrepreneurially-minded new product development. Second, is the quality of professional development in better preparing students to enter industry or academia, upon completion of the degree. The intellectual contributions involve building knowledge within applied energy new product development.

The proposed energy research projects will support the broad initiatives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and National Academy of Engineering. This project will contribute to society through a direct impact on 30 undergraduates d in STEM. In addition, the new product development component of the student research experience will inform the faculty-driven research agenda (and subsequent entrepreneurial activities), thus improving the quality and customer focus of the applied research initiatives.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.