Open 2013

Collaborative design between Engineering and Nursing is beginning to make a significant social impact. A number of student projects have had direct impact on a small number of disabled individuals. A slightly broader impact is evidenced by students expressing transformational awareness of how they can benefit from multi-disciplined projects. Broad impact is being made as the program draws public attention, including news articles and acknowledgment in a recent speech by First-Lady Michelle Obama. The authors contend that there is potential for very broad social impact by commercializing the designs, but the path to commercialization is challenging, especially for a primarily undergraduate program. The authors describe failures, lessons learned and plans for establishing a commercialization process within the undergraduate program. The commercialization process itself will require a collaborative effort to attract participants from any or all UDM colleges.