Partnership Program Helps Undergraduate Interns Become Inventors
6 April 2005
- Media Contacts:
Mary Lynn Heath Strategic Solutions International, LLC (405) 641-9733 marylynn@ssi.us
STILLWATER, Okla. Strategic Solutions International, LLC (SSI) was recently awarded an intern partnership grant sponsored by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) (http://www.OCAST.state.ok.us). The grant is administered by OCAST as part of their Faculty Student Intern Partnership (FSIP) Program. In conjunction with the partnership grant, OCAST and SSI will each be providing $50,000 over the next two years to help expose undergraduate students to applied research. SSI was one of four Oklahoma firms selected this past November to participate in the program.SSI wasted no time getting the program up and running, hiring two outstanding Oklahoma State University undergraduate engineering students within weeks after being notified of the award. The two students, Joseph Pruitt and Matt Andrews, each began work for SSI in December. Pruitt is pursuing a double-major in mechanical and aerospace engineering with an art minor. Andrews is pursuing an electrical engineering degree and also serves as an Oklahoma National Guardsman.
Part of SSI’s goal with the OCAST FSIP program was to hire undergraduate student interns and turn them into innovators and inventors. About this noteworthy goal, Dr. Steve Trost, Director of Research & Development and company founder, stated
One of our strategic goals is that every employee will have at least one patent with their name on it within 3 to 5 years after joining the company. I have no doubt that both of our current interns will easily achieve that objective, quite possibly before they even finish their undergraduate studies. In just over three months of part-time service, Joseph and Matt have both already contributed inventive, patentable ideas in the furtherance of our company’s strategic mission. I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to share my knowledge and experiences with them and to see them respond with innovative ideas of their own.
SSI strives to accomplish their goal of turning employees into inventors via a fourfold strategy:
- Train them to think like inventors,
- Give them the tools they need to be innovative,
- Build self-confidence about their ability to be innovative, and
- Reward them significantly for their innovative contributions.
During their very first week as SSI employees, Pruitt and Andrews attended an intensive two-day seminar on innovative problem solving led by Jim Belfiore, Innovation Training Specialist for Invention Machine Corporation (http://Invention-Machine.com). Beyond providing this initial training, SSI has demonstrated a strong commitment to the interns’ professional development by providing access to additional training opportunities, including a research proposal-writing workshop, a seminar on patents and intellectual property rights, specialized machine-tool training in conjunction with Meridian Technology Center’s Career Development program, and, for one of the interns, a trip to the 84th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, DC.
“My approach to this partnership program is simple,” states Dr. Trost. “I want to give these students access to real-world learning and enhancement opportunities that I wish had been available to me when I was their age.”
Pruitt summed up his experiences with SSI thus far, stating, “Working with SSI and Dr. Trost has taught me to think from a more innovative mindset. I am continuously encouraged to explore new ideas, express my creativity, and think outside the box. In addition, Dr. Trost’s personal investment in us as interns has already increased our career potential, and we’ve only been at it for a few months.”
Andrews echoed similar comments, “Interning at SSI is giving me theoretical and hands-on experience while allowing me to further define my career interests. I am putting every aspect of my major into practice solving real-world problems; and I get to actively participate in the development, design, and commercialization of new products.”
About Strategic Solutions International
Strategic Solutions International, LLC (SSI) is a research and development company headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. SSI’s strategic mission is to apply sound research principles and visionary innovation to develop novel, robust, rugged solutions to significant, unsolved problems. The company developed its first commercial product, the intelliRockTM concrete quality control sensor, under a collaborative research agreement with Nomadics, Inc. (http://nomadics.com). SSI is actively pursuing research in the areas of construction quality control, construction materials, low-cost thermal insulation, and animal health monitoring. Furthermore, SSI provides expertise in the areas of process management, process improvement, Six Sigma quality, innovative problem solving, and experimental design. SSI can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.ssi.us or through email at info@ssi.us.
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