Imagine a weekend where science meets innovation—welcome to the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program’s Capstone retreat!
Students in our Capstone course were welcomed to join us at the Rutgers Inn and Conference Center for a weekend of workshops, team building, field trips, and fun.
We invited both in-person and online students to take part. One student traveled from upstate New York to attend!
Capstone: Bringing Together Science and Business
All Master of Business and Science (MBS) students finish their degrees by completing a Capstone project in place of a traditional master’s thesis. For this project, students work in groups to identify a science-derived intellectual property (IP) and take it to market. This course is led by Dr. Tom Bryant and a team of expert instructors.
“This is the course where we pull together how science-intensive enterprises are managed, grown, and built,” said Dr. Bryant. “That’s the primary objective.”
At the end of the semester, each team presents an impressive pitch to a panel of judges, or “angel investors,” consisting of individuals with expertise in entrepreneurship, investment, and startups.
Although this course has run for many years, this is only the third time we’ve hosted a retreat for students—and they just keep getting better!
An Academic Adventure
The first day of the retreat kicked off with a skunkworks project. Students were instructed to take “research materials” from a collection of food items. In teams, students brainstormed new product ideas in a set amount of time and repeated the exercise to generate even more ideas to meet different criteria. This exercise demonstrates the critical need for brainstorming in any organization. Students finished the exercise by selecting their top ideas and crafting a 30-second pitch.
Students could then tailor their retreat experience by choosing from a selection of workshops covering areas such as marketing, finance, storytelling, start-ups, and more.
At night, the fun continued. We treated students with tickets to a Rutgers football game, where the Rutgers Scarlet Knights beat the Washington Huskies.
The retreat concluded with a bus trip to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park. Located in West Orange, New Jersey, visitors step back in time to walk through a preservation of Thomas Edison’s residence and laboratory. Students learned about the journey, impact, and lasting legacy of famed inventor—and innovator—Thomas Edison.
Why a retreat?
This is our third Capstone retreat. The initiative was started in the fall 2023 semester and has since grown to accommodate dozens of students, staff, and faculty.
“One of the major benefits for a professional master’s program is the development of personal networks of peers within the program,” said Dr. Bryant. The Capstone retreat offers teammates an opportunity to connect in person, which will enhance online communications, said Dr. Bryant.
Students were thrilled for an opportunity to meet their teammates for in-person brainstorming sessions and join instructors for workshops.
“I think the Capstone gives a really great opportunity for collaborative teamwork, which is essential in a regular corporate environment,” said Sydney Jenkins, a Capstone student pursuing an MBS degree with a concentration in Engineering Management.
To learn more about Capstone, read about the fall 2024 Capstone presentations. Congratulations to all Capstone students!