Last week, students in the Master of Business and Science (MBS) degree were invited to a weekend filled with innovation, team-building, and fun!
MBS students finish their degree by completing our “Capstone” course. In this experiential course, students work in teams to choose a science-derived intellectual property (IP) and develop a business plan to take this IP to market. Capstone allows students to bring together all of the skills in business and science that they have learned throughout their MBS degree to create a detailed business plan and pitch presentation. The course is led by Dr. Tom Bryant and a team of expert instructors.
A new addition to “Capstone” that makes the course unique is the inclusion of a retreat. For two days, students are invited to campus for workshops, team-building activities, and a field trip to a site of innovation. This event is open to all “Capstone” students—both in-person and online. It’s a valuable way to facilitate face-to-face interaction between students and instructors alike. Students have traveled from all over the United States to attend!
Setting the Stage
After enjoying breakfast at the Lifelong Learning Center on Douglass Campus, students took part in a hands-on learning activity.
Bryant led the room in a skunkworks project. For this project, also known as the “Jellybean Workshop,” students were instructed to take “research materials” from a collection of candy and snack food items. In teams, students brainstormed new product ideas within a set time frame. They repeated this exercise, producing more ideas with each iteration. Over the course of three rounds, the room generated a staggering 1,500 ideas.
Next, each group was tasked with choosing their best idea fitting a certain criteria and presenting a thirty-second pitch to the room.
This exercise allowed students to think outside of the box. Additionally, it was a great way for students to get to know their teammates—and the rest of their MBS alumni network.
After the project, students attended workshops—choosing from a selection in finance, marketing, presenting, project management, artificial intelligence, and more.
Exploration of Innovation
On Saturday, students took a field trip to visit the Rutgers Makerspace. Located on Livingston Campus, the Rutgers Makerspace is a collaborative workspace free for Rutgers students, faculty, and staff. It offers a variety of do-it-yourself equipment, including 3D printers, laser cutters/engravers, woodshop, textiles, and more.
The Rutgers Makerspace is a location that fosters hands-on creativity, allowing users to work on personal crafts or prototypes.
The trip to the Makerspace included a tour of the facilities, and students walked away with a project of their choice. Students also heard about the legacy and continuing impact on innovation of famous inventor Thomas Edison from Paul Israel, Director and General Editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers.
This retreat is an unforgettable experience for MBS students! Good luck to all who are taking this course.
