This semester, students in the Lean Design and Development School of Technological Entrepreneurship (STE) Masters course are trying something completely new. We have partnered with the Autodesk BUILD Space to give venture teams access to this state-of-the-art maker space. BUILD is located in the innovation district, in the same building as MassChallenge and Continuum’s new studio space. BUILD is a research and development workshop and makerspace designed to spur collaboration and innovation using the latest fabrication technology, software, and materials. Our students are being trained on 3D printers, laser cutters, and other advanced equipment to help them realize their projects. BUILD is also providing materials and technical assistance. This is an amazing opportunity for Northeastern. And we could not be more grateful to Autodesk. In addition to BUILD, we have continued to maintain a close relationship with the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt). MassArt designers are a part of each team, as are many students from the Engineering Management Masters program in the College of Engineering. Each team has technical skills, business skills, and design skills. The course is taught by myself and Janos Stone, from the College of Arts Media and Design. Together we are taking the journey from opportunity assessment to functioning prototype.
During the first 5 weeks of the course, we approach the projects from a design thinking perspective, developing concepts from opportunities culled from user insights, research and ethnography. Using a structured ideation approach developed in the course; during week 7 leading concepts are selected. Students started their journey with an initial opportunity space ideation session at MassArt on January 31st, shown in the picture below.
The projects are then developed and prototyped with the assistance of the team, their designers, and BUILD over the remaining 7 weeks. A unique aspect of the course is that the students are required to be entrepreneurial. Meaning that they need to bootstrap, scramble and find the resources they need for the very high-level of project quality and realism needed to do well in the course. A limited, intentionally constrained budget is given to each team. This constraint actually encourages bootstrapping, given them some resources, but having them want more. Students are permitted to use outside help, and ask for in-kind support when and where they can. They can learn the tools required, or hire and contract out what they need, just as you would in a small, resource-constrained startup. Examples include prototypes developed using underutilized equipment in a factory in Connecticut, software code contracted in India, free CAD done by roommates, to self taught Raspberry PI development – this is gritty, hands-on global entrepreneurial development in action. In fact, overtime the Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education (NUCEE) has developed a very defined procedure for handling these courses and associated resources, which are offered for both undergraduate and graduate students. In the future, these courses will be offered in our other campuses such as the Silicon Valley.
This year, we have a focus on sustainability and housing. Already we see some really interesting projects starting to germinate. One of them is 3D rapidly printed refugee housing, designed for Syria and other areas in need. Final project presentations will be given on April 25th at BUILD to Autodesk and other outside experts. If you want to join us, please let me know!