Science and Entrepreneurship
What is an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is someone who creates a new business to solve an unmet need. An entrepreneur can be an innovator, a source of new ideas, goods, services, and business processes.
Who is an entrepreneur? Anyone can be an entrepreneur! There are a lot of risks to starting any business, but it can also be very rewarding.
Why do students at IMET study entrepreneurship?
IMET trains graduate students in both science and entrepreneurship because some of the best business ideas come from science research. The Ratcliffe Environmental Entrepreneur Fellowship Program teaches business skills to young scientists. Students define a problem that exists and develop a business plan to solve that problem. Below are some examples.
The Problem: Bees around the world are dying because of disease. Bees are important pollinators for crops, so smaller bee populations means less food being grown. Lauren’s Solution: We should help bees’ immune systems! Just like humans, bees may need more probiotics - or beneficial microorganisms. These probiotics would help bees, farmers, and everyone who needs to eat!
Lauren’s Solution: We should help bees’ immune systems! Just like humans, bees may need more probiotics - or beneficial microorganisms. These probiotics would help bees, farmers, and everyone who needs to eat!
The Problem: Harmful algal blooms occur all over the world and produce dangerous toxins. They are a concern for human health and our economies. Taylor’s Solution: Barley grain is composed of chemicals capable of reducing harmful algal blooms. Taylor would extract these chemicals from beer waste to decrease these dangerous toxins.
Taylor’s Solution: Barley grain is composed of chemicals capable of reducing harmful algal blooms. Taylor would extract these chemicals from beer waste to decrease these dangerous toxins.
