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You'll learn valuable, broadly applicable skills:

Scientific method/ Hypothesis-testing

Communicating ideas/ Public speaking

Customer discovery/ Investigative interviewing

Human-centered design principles

Rapid prototyping/ Value creation

Professional writing

And you'll be working with fun people

Dr. Sean Ma

Sean is a neuroimaging Post-doc researcher in psychiatry and long-time UROP mentor. He's mentored over a dozens students, often encouraging summer interships. He helps students pursue their interests in encouraging and stimulating ways.

Sushmi

Sushmi is a senior undergraduate studying neuroscience and entrepreneurship. This is her third year working under Dr. Ma.

Evan

Evan is a senior studying psychology and information science. This is his fourth year working under Dr. Ma.

Project Title: Research Entrepreneurship & Biomedical Innovation

Search under ~ Project Class: Health Scienes or Social Sciences | Project ID: 22043 | Project #: 369

Project Description:

Did you know University of Michigan is a top research innovation hub that transforms our understanding of medicine, engineering, as well as many other fields? In just 2014 alone, 400+ innovations were reported which brought in a total of $18.5 million in revenue. Biomedical research, a strong arm of this innovation force, is the forefront for novel developments of treatment pathways for the human brain & body. Its integration of medicine and digital technology constantly revolutionizes the way we deal with diseases and disorders.

Now imagine you have a chance to work with groups of talented researchers, learning about their innovative breakthroughs and helping them bring these ideas into the world for major impact. You could be a major force in helping a team that wants to design a helmet to cool down the brain after traumatic brain injury, help patients/clinicians understand benefits from a gamified mobile application that reduces social anxiety, or help discover/ideate the applications of a robotic endoscope that travels through the body. These are only a couple of the countless medical projects UM researchers are currently working on that you could be a part of.

Through our UROP entrepreneur initiative, you will experience a combination of hands-on entrepreneurial components. First, you will be paired with a team of researchers interested in transforming their medical innovation into entrepreneurial ventures. You will have the opportunity to learn from both the research and the business discovery processes about how to draw a connection between them. Second, you will map these ideations with other students onto working prototypes, which could include 3d models, mock websites, designs, to further test your ideas. Third, you will be able to engage with local Ann Arbor startup mentors to receive feedback and mentorship. Fourth, you will also be exposed to storytelling opportunities to help convey your ideas and passion to the general public.

Below is list of what sessions will be covered (tentative). The 1st semester will focus on customer discovery, a process of learning what the customers need and want. The 2nd semester will focus on designing prototypes and conducting tests for iterative learning.

  1. Introduction seminar about University of Michigan research structure (will gauge your interests and pair you with a team of researchers accordingly)
  2. Hypothesis generation, investigative interviewing
  3. Five week structured customer discovery boot camp paired with teams of biomedical researchers (various projects/disciplines)
  4. Reflection and further discovery (Mid-November)
  5. Introduction to value proposition design
  6. Prototype ideation
  7. Introduction to prototyping process and tools
  8. Digital tools for product creation
  9. How to tell a story and pitch to others
  10. Student presentations on projects