This Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) project, Universidad Del Turabo Partnership for Innovations Program: Hispanic Entrepreneurial Program for Innovation (PIP/HEPI), proposes to transform the existing programs in the Schools of Engineering and Science and Technology through the efforts of a strong university/industry/government innovation partnership. The main goal of this partnership is to revise the engineering and sciences curriculum to incorporate active learning and integration of the engineering and sciences educational experience while addressing industry's need for engineers and other STEM field professionals with strong technical, communication, interpersonal, and business skills directed toward innovation. The project focuses on the introduction, modeling and sustainability of the Michigan Technological University (MTU) Enterprise Program model within a Hispanic serving institution and a Hispanic cultural setting at Universidad del Turabo (UT). The MTU Model provides knowledge generation through a non-traditional curriculum, which integrates student empowerment, hands-on practice of manufacturability, ethics, economic, financial, intellectual property, commercialization, alternative and environmentally friendly design and manufacturing considerations to real-world engineering/science problems in a corporate setting.
Introducing the Hispanic Enterprise Program for Innovation, provides UT engineering and science underrepresented students a choice between a traditional and a non-traditional learning environment. The best practices will be disseminated to Hispanic-serving institutions and faculty of the US and Latin America/Caribbean through Latin-American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI). The project will directly benefit the Puerto Rico Eastern Central Region Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative or WIRED Virtual Region, as designated by the US Department of Labor in 2006. The proposed PIP/HEPI will allow addressing both NSF PFI and USDOL goals for economic and workforce development spearheaded through innovation in STEM fields.
Partners: Partners include Universidad del Turabo (Lead Institution); Michigan Technological University (MTU); three industries: Lehigh Press, PRAQCO Industrial Supply, Inc., and New ValTech, Inc.; Technological Initiative for the Central Oriental Region of Puerto Rico (INTECO), whose Board of Directors consists of the Mayors of the Municipalities of Caguas, Gurabo, Juncos, Cayey, San Lorenzo, Las Piedras, Humacao, Naguabo (not-for-profit, multi-sectorial); representatives of five regional universities and seven industries); and Latin-American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI), consisting of 42 international institutions and 9 US institutions ( www.laccei.org ) (international dissemination partner).
