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This fire alarm, designed by
MU students, not only flashes a bright light, but alternates
its loud signals to cover all of the frequencies that a
human ear can hear. If an older person is deaf to certain
frequencies, he or she should still be able to hear the
alarm. Photo courtesy of EMILE
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Grooming
Tomorrow's Entrepreneurs
By Jessica Pollard
MU program brings business and
engineering students together to create new, marketable products.
Chances are you have never heard of a “handy
helper,” a “dynamic dimmer” or even a “lightning
cane.” That’s because these products do not currently
exist on the market. However, students at the University of Missouri-Columbia
are developing these products, and many others, through a unique
program combining the forces of the College
of Engineering and the College
of Business.
In Entrepreneurial Manufacturing Innovation
Laboratory Experience (EMILE), students take business basics and
infuse them with engineering creativity. Led by Mary Beth Marrs,
dean of undergraduate programs in the College of Business, and
Thomas Crowe, associate professor of industrial
engineering, 35 students collaborated with the MU Sinclair
School of Nursing to develop beneficial products for the elderly.
The ultimate goal is for these inventions to eventually make their
way on to store shelves across the country, Marrs said.
One group of students designed a
better wheel base for people
who
rely on walkers. Photo courtesy of
EMILE
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EMILE
is a team-based sequence comprising three courses that allow
students to develop and market a product while working alongside
students from other disciplines. The vision of the program
is to graduate engineering-savvy business students and business-skilled
engineering students with unique preparation that will enhance
their skills in the job market.
Course one, “Enterprise Conception,”
emphasizes creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship through
a specific theme. “Enterprise Design,” course two,
builds upon the business plans developed in course one and emphasizes
design, manufacturing and production. The third course, “Enterprise
Operation,” implements operation plans from course two and
expands them into the actual manufacturing, sale and distribution
of the products.
This program is unique in that while other
universities offer programs similar to EMILE, they don’t
include a third course that goes beyond the classroom in encouraging
students to get their products out on the market. Actual enterprise
operations take place inside the EMILE facility, a 3,143 square-foot
mini-factory where equipment and resources are configured and
enhanced for production.
Getting
up in the middle of the night can be awkward. But this student-invented
bedside pad automatically turns on a light when a person
steps on it. Photo courtesy of EMILE
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Recently, Kristin Kainam, a business major,
and Mike Hirst, an engineering major, were the first two students
to graduate from the program having completed the entire three-course
sequence.
The concept of EMILE was first conceived
in fall 1999 by Jose Zayas-Castro, professor and director of graduate
studies of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering. Funding
for the program includes a three-year grant from the Division
of Undergraduate Education at the National
Science Foundation. More than 20 companies, including 3M,
Anheuser-Busch and Hallmark, are providing financial support.
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Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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