College of Engineering

keen and Entrepreneurial Minded Learning (EML)

A primary goal of the College of Engineering is to instill an entrepreneurial mindset in our students, allowing them to fully engage with the principles and applications of their classroom lessons, and to motivate them to focus on becoming job market-ready engineers. 

Entrepreneurial minded learning (EML) is not about creating startups.  We begin this mindset with our students as freshmen and continue through their co-op, senior design showcase, and senior design expo. The goal is to understand the bigger picture, recognize opportunities, acquire important professional and business-ready skills, and learn from mistakes.  These skills will add value to engineering education and higher output for employers.  

Two teams from The University of Toledo Biodesign Challenge competed in June at the International Biodesign Challenge Summit in New York.  Biodesign Challenge Winners - Btilix team members are, from left, Tyler Saner, Sarah Mattei, Courtney Kinzel, Timothy Wolf and Sherin Aburidi.  Students on the PlastiGrow team are, from left, McKenzie Dunwald, Michael Socha, Colin Chalmers and Ysabelle Yrad.

Our Entrepreneurial minded learning Initiatives

• KEEN Freshmen Innovation Challenge - Freshmen design projects culminate in the KEEN Innovation Challenge event every spring, which gives freshmen an opportunity to learn to present a concept and embrace the ideation and entrepreneurial process that is essential to their career success. 
• YES - The Young Entrepreneurs Society allows entrepreneurial minded students to share their business and product ideas among peers for evaluation, support, and feedback.  YES also helps to connect students with successful entrepreneurs both inside and outside the university community.
• Senior Design Expo -  A college-wide showcase of our students' creativity and ingenuity
• Senior Design Showcase -Select teams are chosen from the expo to showcase their design for judges

• We teach students both how to be an entrepreneur and also how to bring entrepreneurially-minded learning and other essential skills to all they do in their careers. The College of Engineering is one of a select few partner institutions from the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network, (KEEN). KEEN is dedicated to preparing undergraduate engineering students for success with the Entrepreneurial Mindset.

Bioengineering students, from left, Kizito Akunna, Shayla Glynn, Alex Gibson and Deric Anthony won $10,000 for their company, C-See Tech, in the UToledo College of Business and Innovation's Business Innovation Competition.
 

  Engineering students require training, experiences and exposure to concepts that will let them be leaders and innovators contributing to our economic engine, not just technical problem solvers."
         

                                                                                                                                      Mr. Roy Armes (MECE, 1975)
                                                                                                                                      Former Chairman, CEO & President
                                                                                                                                      Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.