|
|
|
|
Technology
Entrepreneurship:
The
entrepreneurship focus area is centered on stimulating entrepreneurship
through product innovation, technology management, technology utilization,
resource deployment, human resource management and marketing.
|
The
Internet has changed everything in business, including the roles
of engineers within the corporate world. Tools historically used
by engineers to develop a product or improve productivity in a
manufacturing environment are no longer sufficient. The “on-line”
business model brought on by the growth in e-commerce requires
that engineers and scientists must also be conversant in the language
of business. The market value of students with diverse skills
has risen considerably.
The
traditional business model suggests that there are one or two
ways to sell a product or service. The Internet has dramatically
impacted the means by which trade may occur, with new methods
of exchange and business models evolving almost daily. Teaching
students and entrepreneurs to be successful in this technological
environment requires new ways of thinking. Traditional educational
approaches must be rethought. Louisiana Tech will use this opportunity
to provide a rich entrepreneurship-focused learning environment,
thereby increasing the marketability of our graduates and enhancing
the opportunities for economic growth in North Louisiana .
|
 |
|
The
Internet has enabled entrepreneurship to flourish in relatively
remote areas as one simply requires a connection to the Internet
to market goods or services anywhere around the world. Communities
able to develop an entrepreneurial culture and support businesses
with technologically competent, business-savvy workers will emerge
as the next success stories in technology-driven economies.
Our
educational activities will prepare students to succeed in this
rapidly changing environment. Research efforts focus on developing
an understanding of the elements required for successful entrepreneurship
in IT in an historically low-tech region. Our instructional and
service activities will serve to nurture new and expanding companies
and improve their prospects for success.
Entrepreneurship
draws on many business disciplines. We have several faculty trained
in accounting, finance, management, marketing, economics, computer
information systems, quantitative analysis, and other disciplines
who are also interested in entrepreneurship. A senior faculty person
in management, the area most often associated with entrepreneurship
in business, will be the "leader" of our entrepreneurship
team.
Computer
information systems (CIS) focuses on the application of information
technologies to the business environment. In business, information
is a commodity available for sale and often provides a comparative
advantage in the marketplace. Management of information is now an
important element of successful businesses. There are a number of
support people in the area of CIS; however, a nationally known,
senior faculty person in CIS will be recruited to enhance the prospects
for success of the CEnIT.
The
M. S. in Engineering Management and our proposed technical MBA program
offer opportunities to impact technology development along the North
Louisiana corridor. At least one new engineering faculty member
with expertise in management of technology issues is needed to support
graduate research and education and the entrepreneurship focus of
the Center.
|
| Novel
Technologies for Advanced Computing and Sensing:
This focus area is centered around next generation systems for processing,
communicating, storing and sensing information. The Institute
for Micromanufacturing (IfM) and the Center for Biomedical Engineering
and Rehabilitation Science (CyBERS)have hired a number of exemplary
faculty in recent years who are working in microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS), neural engineering , microsensors, nanosensors,
advanced materials, microelectronics, and related areas. |
|
Research in the IfM is primarily targeted
towards nanotechnology, environmental and chemical microsystems
(EnviroMEMS), and biomicrosystems (BioMEMS). Many of the innovative
ideas emerging from these research centers are specifically relevant
to future information technologies. For example, faculty are
developing sensors for application in environment and biological
environments. Some faculty are also developing novel materials
(including magnetic materials) that may be applied in many electronic
devices and sensors. Other faculty are specifically focusing
on microelectronics systems made from novel materials.
As our society moves
toward greater connectivity and feedback/control systems throughout
our environment, the role of MEMS will increase in significance.
Existing investments, facilities and faculty, coupled with the CEnIT
will enable Louisiana Tech University to play a leading role in
the development and applications of MEMS. |
|
A major barrier to successful implementation
of MEMS lies in the packaging and integration of microelectronics
and MEMS.Wireless telecommunications, enabling "tether-free"
communications between devices and the communications network, is
another area critical to the successful widespread application of
MEMS. By capitalizing on the IfM and add a few key people
in strategic areas, we will be able to have a significant and rapid
impact on novel technologies for the IT industry. |
|
Applications
in Networking, Modeling, Simulation and Design:
CEnIT
is also focused on advances in modeling and simulation tools particularly
as related to materials science, biology, networking, decision support,
accessibility and other areas of engineering and science.
The
time from conception to market for many modern technologies is very
short, particularly in the IT area. In some cases, one can lose
a competitive advantage or even a share of the market if the design
to manufacturing process takes more than a few months. For these
reasons, significant emphasis is being placed by industry participants
on computer modeling, simulation, and design. These activities require
complex systems and highly proficient, interdisciplinary teams of
scientists and engineers to establish the interrelationships between
the hardware, software, and simulation algorithms. Graduates with
skills in this area are in high demand. Often small businesses with
capabilities in simulation, modeling, and design start in areas
near institutions with engineering and computer science graduate
programs.
|
|
The
IfM and CyBERS are focusing aspects of research at the molecular
and cellular levels. Presently, it is not possible to determine
all important interactions (e.g., nucleation sites) and properties
(e.g., electrochemical) at these levels experimentally. Consequently,
computational approaches must be used to help achieve fundamental
advances for new technologies. Computational science has made major
advances in recent years, and having a core of skilled faculty and
graduate students in this area will significantly enhance the capabilities
of our research centers in developing new IT systems. We have established
faculty and facilities that strongly support simulation and modeling
research activities in a number of fields. The addition of new faculty
in computer science, computer engineering, computational analysis,
and computational materials science will establish an exceptional
core to facilitate research and development activities. The interdisciplinary
Ph.D. in Computational Analysis and Modeling provides a vehicle
for student participation. |
 |
|
Computer
science and computer engineering are at the heart of information
technology. These disciplines provide the systematic study of algorithmic
processes that describe and transform information. To pursue these
activities successfully will require additional faculty in computer
science with expertise complementing our existing focus areas. For
example, faculty with neural network or human-computer interaction
expertise may provide support for CyBERS and its neural engineering
focus. Faculty with expertise in data mining/warehousing may support
research in CyBERS and the TTC. Computer engineering is not currently
a separate curriculum at Louisiana Tech but falls under the electrical
engineering discipline. As evidenced by major new funding initiatives
from the NSF in computer software, hardware, and engineering, there
is significant growth in employment, research, and educational programs
anticipated in this area. Additional computer science faculty will
be hired to support CEnIT.
|
|
