Ben Muchin, a third-year product major, was at the end of a presentation showcasing his sunglass designs with such provocative names as the Lagunas, Bottom Shelf Whiskeys and LL Cool Js when Byron Ferrise questioned whether they were manufacturable. As attractive as the glasses appeared and as catchy as their names, Ferrise’s critique about the shades came from experience. He is a former product development engineer and manager at Oakley, the sports equipment company, and currently CEO of Knows Eyewear, a California-based semi-custom sunglass business he co-founded in 2020.
It was the last day of Associate Professor Mike Glaser’s Interdisciplinary Product Studio (PROD 340) class and students were making presentations before five executives from Convatec Group, a British multinational medical device maker. The students — from a range of disciplines — biomedical engineers along with product and fashion designers — were provided with a challenge from Convatec at the beginning of the 10-week course at the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design that culminated into this moment.
Partnering with external organizations has long been an integral part of Drexel’s academic culture. From co-op to the classroom, these diverse engagements take place in varying forms in every college and department across the University, and involve a range of companies including FMC, Comcast, Lockheed Martin, SAP and Lutron, as well as smaller startups such as Fabscrap, nonprofit organizations like Longwood Gardens, and government entities.
