Dear Colleagues:

I would like to make you aware that I will be offering a course entitled Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy in Engineering this semester (Fall 2014).  A brief description is provided below.  This is the 7^th time the course has been offered, and it typically has an enrollment of ~20-40 students from a wide range of schools across campus. I would welcome participation from students in your school to broaden the cross-disciplinary discussion and diversity of backgrounds in the course.

While framed in the context of entrepreneurial activity, the concepts conveyed in the course focus heavily on open-ended problem solving, conceptual thinking, and communications, and are thus equally applicable to commercial and research activity.  Students in the past have explored developing robust approaches to manage challenges ranging from the launch of companies based on their own research, to defining plans to grow corporations they hope to work for after graduation. Example projects have included commercialization of software defined radio technology, launch of new construction enterprises, exploration of opportunities for non-profit organizations in developing countries, and services to enhance prescription pharmaceutical adherence in emerging markets.

Please let me know if I can answer any questions you may have about the course. There are no prerequisites -  we build the background students need as we go. Also, as a 500-level course, I typically have a good mix of senior undergraduates and graduate students in the course which creates a fun and creative environment.

Best regards,

-              Joe

Joseph Sinfield, Sc.D.

Associate Professor of Civil Engineering 

Editorial Board Member - ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal 

Purdue University

550 Stadium Mall Drive, Room G231

West Lafayette, IN 47907-2051

Ph: 765-496-2742

E-mail:jvs@purdue.edu