STUDENT NEWS

Students in Alex DeNoble's Management 729 class have been working diligently throughout the semester on projects that involve investigating the commercialization potential of new technologies. This year, six students from DeNoble's class were given the opportunity to investigate technologies being worked on by scientists in Beirut and Israel.

One group comprised of three graduate students worked with a scientist at the American University in Beirut (AUB), while another group of three students collaborated with a scientist from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. The students communicated with the scientists overseas through e-mail, telephone and teleconferencing.

“Communication was not a problem,” said Tania Serhan, one of the students who worked on the AUB project. “It was cheap, easy, and the time difference was not a problem.”

Each team was assigned a different technology in which they were expected to obtain background information on, in addition to finding out what stage the technology is currently in and what military or commercial problems it was originally designed to solve.

For Marty Frank, one of the grad students working on the AUB project, understanding the technology was a challenge. “I had to stay focused on the market, and not get bogged down by the technology,” said Frank.

Working in conjunction with their mentors and the scientists at AUB and Ben Gurion University, each team was expected to reach an agreement on the value that their subject technology brings to various parts of the market.

According to Beverly Dunlap, a grad student working with scientists at Ben Gurion University, the ultimate goal for each team was to obtain a licensing partner and to find out whether the technology can be commercialized in the U.S. and, if not, what steps are needed to take it to market.

As the semester comes to an end, the teams are currently preparing to turn in their final projects. Students from both teams said they are confident in the end products and that they owe much of their success to their mentors. Acting as the mentor to the group working with AUB was Dr. Stephen Chang who brings with him an extensive background in life science.

Dean Gail Naughton, who also possesses experience and a vast knowledge of life science, mentored the team working with Ben Gurion.

Frank said that being involved in the project has made him more interested in technology. “You don't have to be an engineer or a scientist to understand the bringing of a technology to market,” said Frank.

email: business@sdsu.edu

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