UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State President Eric Barron will be joined by a pair of University guests to talk about the new Innovation Hub in downtown State College and how the University is fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, in the next episode of WPSU’s “Digging Deeper” on Sunday, Feb. 20.
Barron will be joined by Lee Erickson, associate director of economic development and student programs, and Ashley Palmer, director of marketing and communications for the Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization.
“Digging Deeper” will air at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on WPSU-TV and can be streamed on live.wpsu.org. WPSU is a Penn State Outreach service.
The focus of the new Penn State Innovation Hub on South Burrowes Street, like the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank that it houses, is empowering individuals, Erickson said. The hub will offer state-of-art fabrication and maker space as well as programming and co-working space, and is open to anyone, whether or not they are affiliated with Penn State.
When people come in, “The first thing we do is ask them to explain to us what's the problem they're trying to solve? Where are they in that process, and what's your end game?” Erickson said. “One thing we never do is tell them if their ideas are good or bad. It's about us empowering them.”
“Once they figure out who has the problem and why it's a problem, then we look at feasibility: Can you build them something that will solve their problem? That looks at team, at technology, at assets and timing. And then the last stage is: Can you create a viable business out of that?”
The University’s focus on entrepreneurship is important because so many young people want to start their own businesses someday, Erickson said.
“Penn State creates a unique opportunity because one, we’re a world class research facility and there's innovation happening all over the place. Two, there are resources that let students dip a toe in and experiment with it. There's our entrepreneurship minor, which is the second most popular minor that we have,” she said.
“I always say, ‘We're going to open all the doors for you. You get to decide which door you walk through. You can go corporate America, that's awesome — you can work for a small company, that's awesome.’"
Palmer said the innovation hub network offers free and low-cost programs, resources and connections. Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC, scheduled for April 4-8, “brings leading minds in entrepreneurship and innovation to Penn State campuses across the Commonwealth,” she said.
More than 5,000 students participated in last year’s virtual event. This year's event will include more than 65 events such as workshops, networking, student pitch competitions and presentations.
Visit the WPSU website for more information on central Pennsylvania’s public media station.