ESTEEM graduate program welcomes first class

T h e E n g in e e r in g , S c ie n c e a n d T e c h n o lo g y E n tre p re n e u rs h ip E xcellence M a s te r ’s P ro g ra m (ESTEEM) w e lco m ed its f ir s t c la ss th is fall, ju s t over a y e a r a f te r it w as conceived as a jo in t ven­ t u r e g r a d u a t e p r o g r a m b e tw e e n th e C o lle g e s o f S c ie n c e , E n g in e e r in g a n d B usiness. The p ro g ram seeks to tra in s c ie n t i s t s a n d e n g in e e r s in the skills n eed ed to b rin g new technology to th e com m ercial m a r k e t , a c c o r d in g to B ob A lw orth , an asso c ia te d ean in th e C o lleges o f S c ien ce an d E ng ineering . “T h e re ’s w o n d erfu l sc ien ce and e n g in e e r in g t h a t ’s be ing c r e a te d ,” A lw orth sa id . “The fa s te r w e can ge t th a t to do good fo r so c ie ty , th e b e t te r society is .” T h e ESTEEM p r o g r a m ’s cu rricu lu m seeks to give sc i­ e n c e a n d e n g in e e r in g s t u ­ d en ts , m any of w hom do no t have a b ack g ro u n d in e n t r e ­ p re n e u rsh ip or b u s in ess , the tools they n eed to tak e te c h ­ nology from th e re s e a rc h to th e d e v e lo p m e n t le v e l , A lw orth said. T w e n ty -e ig h t s tu d e n ts a re c u r r e n t l y e n r o l l e d in ESTEEM, w hich is a o ne-year g r a d u a t e p r o g r a m t h a t a w a rd s a M aste rs of S cience d e g re e . T hese s tu d e n ts have s tro n g u n d e rg ra d u a te b a c k ­ g ro u n d s in sc ience an d en g i­ nee rin g , A lw orth said. “T h e y ’re n o t in [ESTEEM ] b e c a u s e th e y ’re go in g to do re s e a rc h ,” A lw orth said. In s te a d , ESTEEM s tu d e n ts h o p e to w o rk to b r in g re s e a rc h e d techno logy to the com m ercia l m ark e t, e ith e r for p ro fit o r n o n -p ro fit ven tu res. The p ro g ram w as firs t con­ ceived la te in th e su m m er of 2 0 0 8 by G re g o ry C ra w fo rd , d e a n o f th e C o lle g e o f S c ie n c e , P e t e r K i lp a t r ic k , d e a n o f th e C o lle g e o f E n g in e e r in g , a n d C a ro ly n