Newswise — Babson College Fast Track MBA Program and Oregon Institute of Technology's Renewable Energy Engineering Program announce a partnership to explore business application for renewable energy technologies.
In this pilot program, Babson MBA students in the Northwest region have the opportunity to participate with engineering students at the Oregon Institute of Technology's Portland campus who are enrolled in the Renewable Energy Engineering (REE) program, the first Bachelor of Science of its kind in the nation. The idea of the program is to match Babson Fast Track MBA and OIT REE students to address business challenges of projects focused on renewable energy products, services or systems.
"This partnership provides a unique opportunity for our MBA students to apply their extensive opportunity assessment and implementation skills to the exciting field of renewable energy, and for Babson College a chance to solidify its growing presence in the Northwest region and to contribute meaningfully to entrepreneurial value creation in Oregon" , said Farshad Rafii, faculty director of the Babson Fast Track MBA program in Portland.
Three projects have been selected for the pilot program:
"¢ Personal Power Production and Charging Devices for Remote Applications with OIT students Brandon Little and Jacob Brulc
"¢ Characterization and Management of Charging Systems and Varied Power Loads Drive by Renewable Energy Sources in Marine Applications with OIT student Don Johnson
"¢ Design of a Automation System for a Biofuels Reactor with OIT students Aaron Findley, Jordan Hudson, and Sean Laraway
During the summer, students will collaborate on the scope of work to address business and technical challenges for their teams, and then work collaboratively in the spring of 2010. The goal is to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation among students that could potentially result in commercializing new green technologies.
"This pilot couples the creative technical talent of our OIT students with the business acumen of Babson MBA students. With this synergy we have the potential to create market opportunities for renewable energy applications and lay a foundation for a unique technology incubator right here in Oregon," explained Tom White, Program Director, OIT Renewable Energy Engineering.
For OIT students, connecting with the expertise of Babson MBA students will broaden the opportunities to conduct a market analysis, explore product costing, develop production or manufacturing process analysis, or other business applications, in addition to solving technical challenges. For Babson students, OIT will provide real-world applications for their business analysis in the green technology market space.
According to Babson MBA student, Shashi Jain, "The OIT-Babson partnership is not only an exciting opportunity to apply our education towards the national goal of leadership in renewable energy, but also a chance to make real innovations see the light of day. This experience will enrich my Babson education in unique and unexpected ways."
About OIT
Founded in 1947, Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) is one of seven distinguished institutions belonging to the Oregon University System. OIT's applied technology education model fosters an environment of experiential, high-touch learning so students are world-ready and employment-ready when they graduate.
OIT established the first Bachelor of Science in Renewable Energy Engineering in 2004, the first of its kind in the nation.
OIT earned the No. 10 spot among Baccalaureate Colleges in the West in the 2008 edition of "America's Best colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. The university also ranked fourth in the Western ranking of the Top Public Baccalaureate Colleges.
Visit www.oit.edu/portland to learn more about OIT in the Portland area.
About Babson College
Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., is recognized internationally as a leader in entrepreneurial management education. Babson grants BS degrees through its innovative undergraduate program, and grants MBA and custom MS and MBA degrees through the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, which has been ranked No. 1 in Entrepreneurship for 16 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. Babson Executive Education offers executive development programs to experienced managers worldwide. For information, visit www.babson.edu.
Babson's Fast Track MBA program allows busy working professionals to keep working full time while they earn a nationally ranked MBA in just 24 months. Babson's blend of online and on-campus study in Portland makes this learning outcome a reality.
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