Correction 1/14/11: The Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville (GAGE) does not sell the patents to area businesses. GAGE offers licensing opportunities.
Correction 1/14/11: Researchers do not explain to the students how classified technology was used by the military. The researchers simply discuss the patents with the students.
Angela Miller and Jonathan Rietman have made the two-hour drive to Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) three times now.
Researchers explain to them how classified technologies used by the military, including Special Forces like the Navy SEALs, function and were developed. By the end of each trip, Rietman and Miller have seen things civilians do not get to see yet.
This is all part of the partnership USI has with the naval base, which is located in Martin County.
The budding relationship gave Miller and Rietman, Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) students, the chance to work with real world researchers and engineers and help innovations become introduced into the civilian world.
“It has just been so much hands-on experience,” Miller said. “I’ve been learning so much while interviewing them.”
The purpose of the students’ work with NSWC Crane involves taking the patents of technologies developed by the military for military uses and looking for ways the technology can be applied in the civilian world by different businesses and individuals.
Miller said one example of a project is demolition charge systems. Her job, along with Rietman, determines uses for this such as mining operations, construction uses and movie productions’ special effects.
As MBA students, their work with NSWC Crane deals heavily with patents for technologies.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever read a patent,” Rietman said. “Lawyers write them. So they’re basically written so that no one can understand what they are.”
Once Miller and Rietman find different applications for these military technologies through this business translation process, the ideas are taken by the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville (GAGE) and sold to different businesses in the area that are interested.
GAGE works to help promote economic growth in the Evansville area through public and private partnerships.
This opportunity for business translation by students just started this fall. Rietman and Miller were approached about being a part of the project, and it took off from there.
“I’ve actually been lucky being at the right place at the right time,” Rietman said. “Angela and I were kind of lucky to fall into this.”
NSWC Crane and USI have what is called a PIA, or a Partnership Intermediary Agreement, which is managed by Josh Mischler.
Mischler graduated from USI in December of 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. Following his graduation, Mischler was hired by NSWC Crane as an electronics engineer for over two years before he came back to USI.
Now, Mischler basically oversees the partnership. Since he worked for the naval base in the past, he said he could better understand what everyone wants and build stronger relationships.
“The military was good for me,” Mischler said. “Crane was good for me. My experience at USI was good for me.”
The PIA between USI and NSWC Crane has three main entailments: technology transfer, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related activities and promoting economic development opportunities.
Technology transfer is essentially what Miller and Rietman do with their business translation.
The STEM aspect of the partnership involves many aspects. The overall goal is to increase STEM capabilities and learning in the region for K-16. This can happen through teaching middle school students about interesting technologies to providing real-world experience to MBA students.
Finally, promoting economic development opportunities revolves around the outputs from things like the business translation and their effects on the community.
“Crane wants to get to a point where they set a standard for business translation,” Mischler said.
More than just Mischler have a hand in the USI-NSWC Crane partnership. Sue Ellspermann, director of the Center for Applied Research, also works with Crane on what is called IP mining.
IP mining identifies intellectual property that may be a result of research and patents for the military.
“We have some of the strongest expertise in the country at Crane,” Ellspermann said. “Crane is trying to move from being problem solvers for the military to being innovators.”
Ellspermann’s aspect of the NSWC Crane relationship differs somewhat from the business translations done by the MBA students, but Ellspermann supervises Mischler’s side of things.
Since the relationship with NSWC Crane and the student work started relatively recently, Mischler has hopes for the program’s future development.
This mainly involves opening the door for more student involvement. As of now, the partnership mainly stays within the college of business. Mischler sees a place for anyone from any field of study.
“If they want to get involved, they can get involved,” he said.
Mischler said there are no criteria for eligibility, and even unrelated fields have a spot. He would like this to be a cross-college program.
Miller said even during the trips to the naval base, Mischler looks for ways different students can help out. He talks to the base staff and formulates ideas for different majors.
“Diversity is a big driver of innovation,” Miller said.
