NOVA Receives NSF Grant for Design Thinking

NSF Funds Product Design Incubator (PDI): Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindset Through Interdisciplinary Product Design

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded NOVA a three-year grant, set to begin in July 2022, to strengthen the entrepreneurial mindset among NOVA students, including collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills. The program, Product Design Incubator (PDI), will be situation at the Fab Lab operated by NOVA SySTEMic located on the Manassas campus.

Principle Investigator (PI) Richard Sewell, the Fab Lab Coordinator, is excited to guide this collaborative product design challenge and prepare NOVA students for the IET workforce: “In today’s digital fabrication landscape there is a shortage of problem solvers and creative thinkers. Design Thinking can provide a solution, especially where STEM, Business, and Art interact. Whether students dream of launching their own products, or incorporating their skills into a larger system, understanding how design, fabrication, and commerce overlap is key to developing a digital fabrication literacy.”

Co-PIs and NOVA faculty members Paula Ford and Cameisha Chi will lead several pieces of the project. Dean of Information and Engineering Technologies at the Annandale campus, Ford will lead industry engagement efforts and faculty-mentor curricula development. Assistant Professor Chi in the Business Department at Woodbridge will engage NOVA business faculty and students, and also is the primary support for cross-curricular teams in developing business plans.

Traditional IET programs do not foster the growth of an entrepreneurial mindset, instead focusing on the acquisition of technical knowledge and skills. One promising method to develop IET skills alongside an entrepreneurial mindset is product design. Product design is a holistic set of methodologies that applies engineering, entrepreneurship, and creative skills to the development of new products or services. As an interdisciplinary collaborative process, product design functions as a microcosm of the workplace, aiding in the development of skills required by regional employers.

Utilizing educational workshops paired with work-based learning, PDI will integrate introductory EET with design thinking to guide students from initial ideation through the prototyping and pitch processes. Activities consist of 1) a series of workshops for NOVA students in Visual Art, Business Administration or any IET discipline, 2) a four-week summer product design internship at the Fab Lab, 3) an industry-centered pitch event, and 4) follow-up academic year mentoring with NOVA faculty.

If interested in learning more about NOVA’s Fab Lab go to www.nvcc.edu/systemic/fablab.html or email the Fab Lab Team at NovaFabLab@nvcc.edu.

In today’s digital fabrication landscape there is a shortage of problem solvers and creative thinkers. Design Thinking can provide a solution, especially where STEM, Business, and Art interact. Whether students dream of launching their own products, or incorporating their skills into a larger system, understanding how design, fabrication, and commerce interact is key to developing a digital fabrication literacy.

Submitted by:
Susi Mattheisen, smattheisen@nvcc.edu