Inventing Solutions to Real Problems with Jeffrey

Transcript

Time to meet Jeffrey, a senior from Danbury, Connecticut. He’s majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in spaceflight mechanics. Oh, and he’s minoring in economics, which ties right into his interests in innovation and entrepreneurship. Take it away, Jeffrey.

– Thank you, Alex. Hello everybody. Throughout my childhood, I always had a diverse range of interests. Although I earned high marks in the classroom, I most enjoyed my time outside of the classroom where I was able to build projects for science fairs and compete for my travel baseball team. Upon graduating high school, I was excited to pursue my engineering degree at RPI due to the large involvement of undergraduate students in on-campus research, and I haven’t looked back. I joined my first research team as a sophomore, and have since captained two of my own projects under the tutelage of Professor Ashish Ghosh, who teached in Inventive Studio, a set of three courses where students are first introduced to systematic problem solving techniques and then challenged to develop and present solutions to real world problems. These are from a system level idea to a fully funded prototype. Students are educated on how to leverage these ideas into securing patents and starting their own companies, which many have. It is a rare opportunity for undergraduate students to develop key entrepreneurial skills and gain practical problem solving experience. I developed a wind turbine design for urban wind tunnels to increase the integration of renewable energy into our power grid. RPI even helped me attain two provisional patents for my projects at no cost to me from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and these resources are available to all RPI students. At RPI, I’ve been able to nurture my innovation passion through hands-on design while competing as a captain on a club baseball team and in numerous active intramural sports. These opportunities here at RPI have provided me a springboard for post-grad triumphs with a robust research portfolio. Whether launching a startup company or out job hunting in the industry, I’m poised for future success. Back to you, Alex.

– Jeffrey, your passion for inventing is contagious. We can’t wait to see what else you will invent in the future. Now, not only does RPI have a top aerospace program, but RPI students can learn firsthand how to bring their ideas into reality. Each year they produce three to five actual startups. Absolutely amazing.