March 1, 2017

Our Product Design program has been awarded $19,600 from VentureWell to support their latest course offering, Clinical Immersion to Product Innovation. This course was designed to leverage expertise and interdisciplinary opportunities within Drexel University’s Department of Engineering, Product Design and School of Entrepreneurship. Students will leave the course with a better understanding of how to identify clinical problems, exposure to real-world design learning, experience with Lean Startup methodology and increased entrepreneurial confidence.

Product Design faculty, Raja Schaar, spearheaded this grant with collaborators Mike Glaser, Product Design Program Director; Dr. Ken Barbee, Professor of Biomedical Engineering; and Dr. Donna DeCarolis, Dean of the Close School of Entrepreneurship.

Schaar works to infuse her teaching with human-centered design methodologies grounded in making and prototype testing, and encourages her students to apply design thinking to the development of devices and products that positively impact the lives of users. Her research focuses on K-16 design pedagogy, innovation and entrepreneurship, human-centered design methodologies, STEM/STEAM education, biologically inspired design, and sustainability. 

VentureWell's goal is to support an emerging generation of inventors and the ecosystems critical to their success. Faculty Grants are a key means of achieving that goal: funding faculty to create new (or modify existing) courses and programs in which students develop inventive, STEM-based ideas and gain the entrepreneurial skills they need to bring them to market.