UMBC trains future entrepreneurs

10/08/04

UMBC Trains Future Entrepreneurs

Students, Small Companies, Savings:
The Kauffman Entrepreneur Internship Program

BALTIMORE, Md. (October 8, 2004) – The Kauffman Entrepreneur Internship Program (KEIP) introduces University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) students to the challenges and rewards of becoming entrepreneurs through intensive internships. UMBC's Shriver Center and the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship launched KEIP in the fall of 2002 with the goal of offering graduates and undergraduates a first-hand learning experience in entrepreneurship while providing companies with outstanding students at half the cost.

Christine Routzahn, Project Director for KEIP, states “The Shriver Center and the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship are pleased with the program's results and are eager to move forward to implement our third year of the Kauffman Entrepreneur Internship Program. Given the vision of UMBC and the quality of our existing efforts, we have developed a model that will continue to impact our students and entrepreneurial firms in a positive way.”

Since its inception, KEIP has exposed 48 students to entrepreneurship through mentoring and internships in 28 start-up and emerging firms in Maryland . The types of industries varied, including: 40% information technology, 21% health care consulting/manufacturing and 21% engineering firms. Students hail from many disciplines, including: information systems, history, economics, bioinformatics, graphic design, computer engineering, psychology, computer science, mathematics, and mechanical engineering.

The program is cost effective for participating companies, paying nearly 50% of the internship.

The companies obtain access to a pool of pre-screened, high achieving UMBC students with an entrepreneurial interest. Organizations participating in the program's third year include: Absolute Quality Inc., Athena Environmental Sciences Inc., Carter International Concierge Inc., Cybergroup Inc., E-Global Interactive, Engenium Technologies Inc., and PCTechSource.

AthenaES, a techcenter@UMBC incubator graduate, has utilized several UMBC student interns during its ten year history. “Interns have been a great resource for the company and an excellent way of developing the talent that the company needs to continue its growth,” says Sheldon Broedel, Chief Executive and Science Officer, AthenaES.

AthenaES, which is developing a reagent tool that will allow researchers to monitor contamination levels in preparations of recombinant proteins, has taken on two Kauffman interns this year. A UMBC bioinformatics and computational biology major, Nabila Bashir-Bello, will learn the technical aspects of developing biotechnology-based products and will become acquainted with the process of commercialization. “This is a fantastic opportunity, how many students get the chance to actually develop a product,” said Bashir-Bello.

AthenaES' second student, Melissa Taylor, is a UMBC graphic arts major. Taylor will help design marketing collateral for the company. “It is very exciting working for a small company. I cannot believe the level of responsibility I have been given,” says Taylor .

UMBC encourages students to explore entrepreneurship at all levels. Students, who break new ground in science and technology, push the envelope in the creative arts and provide solutions to society's problems, can all become future entrepreneurs. For more information about KEIP visit www.umbc.edu/entrepreneurship.

About UMBC: UMBC is a distinguished research university with a deep commitment to the education of undergraduates. The University was recently named one of the nation's 12 “Hot Schools” by Kaplan/Newsweek's “How to Get into College” guide. One of only 151 U.S. institutions to be ranked as Doctoral/Research Universities-Extensive by the Carnegie Foundation, UMBC is known for its research centers in gerontology, digital imaging, photonics, structural biochemistry, urban environmental research and education, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at UMBC. The University's commitment to engaged learning, and to the social and economic development of the State of Maryland , is put into action through such programs as The Shriver Center for Work and Service-Learning, the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, the Center for Women and Information Technology and its technology center and research park, home to more than 25 companies. Visit www.umbc.edu for more information.