More than 200 high school students from schools in Northeast Ohio traveled to The University of Akron Thursday for Believe in Ohio’s STEM Forum and Kick-Off event hosted by the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Students from NEOMED Science Academy, Akron Early College, Akron’s STEM High School, Six District Educational Compact and Medina County Career Center heard from University of Akron professors about the impact they can make as an innovator and entrepreneur. They also participated in a working lunch with College of Engineering graduate students to brainstorm ideas for a new product or service to solve a problem or opportunity using a roadmap provided by Believe in Ohio.
“During the breakout session, I was amazed with both the range of topics each student group presented, as well as the quality of the students’ impromptu pitches,” says Dr. Brian Davis, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Akron. “
Believe in Ohio is a student entrepreneurship program to develop Ohio’s next generation of STEM innovators and is co-directed by John Klipfell, Executive Director of Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio and Stephen McConoughey, CEO of The Ohio Academy of Science. The free program is from The Ohio Academy of Science and was developed in collaboration with Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio with the support of the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio General Assembly.
The event was coordinated by Dr. Carin Helfer, senior research scientist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.