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.”