INNOVATION CENTER
NEWSLETTER | September 11, 2023 | 1.5
This past Wednesday Mark Lauinger and Srijita Ghosh, from i2E, Inc., were on campus to speak to our four MidAmerica Cup teams in their first "Coaching Session". Initially our students submitted their one page business summary, and each group received valuable feedback from both Mark and Srijita, as our students have struggled with the business aspect of the competition. Each of our four teams come from our STEM courses (Aviation, Computer Science and Engineering) and they do not necessarily have a business or marketing background. So this is a great opportunity for them to see how to approach an idea or product from a business aspect.
"The MidAmerica Cup program serves as a showcase of MidAmerica's proactive involvement in shaping the workforce of the future," said Dr. Jenny Peters, Pryor High School STEM Instructor. "It underlines their dedication to our students and their success. This program functions as a testament to the Park's commitment to workforce development and fostering innovation through the next generation of leaders."
The MidAmerica Cup business plan competition is designed to expand students' understanding of entrepreneurship and innovation while fostering collaboration with businesses at MidAmerica. It not only creates a talent pipeline but also facilitates valuable connections between students and established companies within the Park.
For More Information, see the press release: HERE
TANGO FLIGHT UPDATE: Our students are moving along with the Tango Flight RV-12is airplane plane. The group has completed the fuel tank, the stabilator, the vertical stabilizer, and both wings are almost complete. The students have been working on completing the cockpit (see picture) and the seats. The avionics have been delivered and the inventory has been completed.
Mentor, Doug Robertson says, "We are a year into Pryor High School's first airplane build. It has amazed me the change, especially in the seniors since last year, the growth, ability and work ethic of these students makes a veteran teacher feel awfully good."
This past Monday it was a pleasure to have Dr. Charles Baukal, Engineering Program Director at Oklahoma Baptist University on campus to speak to our applied engineering students. He talked about "What is Engineering?", "Why Engineering?" and "What do Engineers do?". He described the new Engineering degree programs available at OBU; mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering and how they are developing their engineering programs with an emphasis on the practical aspect of engineering rather than the theoretical approach. He also informed our students that each degree program will include an aviation and aeronautics aspect as well.
As a part of of our Professional Skills Series, Evett Barham worked with our Innovation Center students on preparing an "elevator pitch". Evett, a former teacher, now works as an executive coach and facilitator for Franklin Covey and as the director of marketing, communication and membership for the Pryor Chamber of Commerce. She did a wonderful job of engaging our students as she went through her presentation. Her main talking points covered the following:
- Trustworthiness
- Greeting others
- Conversation Starters
