Open: NCIIA 14th Annual Conference

Our student program to conceive, prototype, and potentially launch products--particularly in the medical technology arena--spans a wide range of age groups and subject areas. Student levels range from middle school to graduate school (including medical school) and cover disciplines as varied as physics, history, and business. Part of the glue holding the program together is an adaptable curriculum to teach both the technical aspects of prototyping and the wider range of issues (needs assessment, market analysis, etc.) associated with product development. The goal is to create a unified community of purpose and mutual instruction, where students at different levels feel that they make an important contribution both to a product itself and to the knowledge shared by members of the project. Major challenges to this approach include maintaining continuity and focus, but these challenges are offset by large benefits in learning and creativity.