Page 82 - BusinessWest December 9, 2024

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I-Corps
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innovation and commercialization activities and how to create more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Laura Burnham will continue to serve as program
director. She brings more than 20 years of experi- ence leading the development, design, and delivery of early-stage science and technology programs in the U.S. and globally.
“The goal of the I-Corps program is to deploy experiential education to help researchers reduce
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the time necessary to translate promising ideas from laboratory benches to widespread implementation that in turn impacts economic growth regionally and nationally,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF’s assis- tant director for Technology, Innovation, and Part- nerships. “Each regional NSF I-Corps Hub provides training essential in entrepreneurship and customer discovery, leading to new products, startups, and jobs. In effect, we are investing in the next generation of
to learn. They’re receptive to being taught,” Rondinelli said. “I really believe in the partnership. A lot of the students have voiced to me that they like the course and they’re learning a lot. That’s really important to me, and hopefully it’s something that will continue on for many years to come.”
Accepting the Challenge
For the Discovery students, there are challenges as well as rewards to studying on a college campus like STCC.
Michael Anderson said some days he would rather be with his friends than be in a class. But he under- stands that knuckling down on his schoolwork will ultimately lead to the reward of earning college credit. “It always trickles down to your mindset: you might not be a college student, but you have to act like one. You’ve got to think, ‘what would a college student
entrepreneurs for our nation.”
The NSF I-Corps Hub: New England Region is
one of three new regional hubs, bringing the total number of higher-education institutions with an I-Corps site across the country to 128. Led by MIT, the hub also includes Brown University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, Tufts University, the University of Maine, and the University of New Hampshire. BW
do?’”
The partnership aligns with STCC’s mission to
provide accessible, affordable education to students from all backgrounds and to support pathways to higher education for underrepresented communities. It also reflects the growing trend of early-college pro- grams across Massachusetts, designed to increase college readiness and close the achievement gap for students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
Discovery students are already reaping the bene- fits of this program, with many feeling more confident and motivated to pursue their educational goals.
“It’s very exciting being on a college campus,” Mar- tinez said. “We are used to being in the same building every day and seeing the same faces. When we are on the college campus, we can work with people in fields that we eventually want to get to. We’re also able to network with people in those fields.” BW
STCC
“They are definitely learning how to be on a col- lege campus,” O’Connor said. “Nobody is sitting in on their classes. They’re walking to their classes. They’re experiencing college life.”
Izabella Martinez, a senior, has earned about 42 college credits so far. “I take two classes at STCC, and my professors have been very helpful,” she said. “During the first few weeks, they always welcomed us into class. The professors are easy to email. They brought supplemental instructors into class to help us. We are getting the experience that other college students are getting.”
Martinez takes a Computer Basics course with STCC Professor Anthony Rondinelli. On one October day, he was teaching the high-school students Micro- soft Excel, showing them how to manipulate data, use formulas, create graphs, and more.
“They have different needs as students who are not yet graduated, but they’re very pleasant, and they want
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