Dean’s word: At the intersection of design and entrepreneurship
As we anticipate the fall opening of Jacobs Hall, home to the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation, we look forward to the expanded opportunities the new building will bring to our students. Twenty-four thousand square feet of studio space with modern prototyping and fabricating equipment will be the foundation of an undergraduate curriculum newly focused on project-based, team-oriented, hands-on learning.
Design is the first step in an extensive innovation ecosystem here at the college.
While design and innovation are interrelated, the linkage between the two is not always linear. At Berkeley Engineering, we are committed to building an extensive innovation ecosystem that ensures that our students not only learn how to design, but also how to translate ideas and designs into sustainable, high-impact ventures.
That’s where the Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology comes in. In 10 years, CET has grown from a single course to a model of technical innovation in an entrepreneurial environment. With their unique pedagogy, the Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship, faculty leads Phil Kaminsky, Ikhlaq Sidhu and Ken Singer use game-based learning to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and hone networking skills.
At a celebration on campus on April 21, Dean Sastry announced the expansion of the newly renamed Pantas and Ting Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology, which will move to new headquarters in Memorial Stadium this summer. (Photo by Noah Berger)
Along the way, the team has demonstrated that entrepreneurship is not something that belongs to a talented few, but can, in fact, be taught. And, as we can now say, scaled as well!
A generous gift from Pantas Sutardja and Ting Chuk, both Berkeley Engineering graduates, is enabling the center to fulfill its vision as a catalyst for technology innovation and to propel many more students and faculty into entrepreneurial careers in both new ventures and established companies.
As Pantas says, “Berkeley has such a strong academic reputation — it will be wonderful for more students to take what they learn here and create a culture of innovation wherever they go.”
We are tremendously grateful to our entire community, and especially to our generous benefactors, for making possible at Berkeley Engineering this exciting new era of engineering education combining design innovation and entrepreneurship.
—S. Shankar Sastry
Dean and Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering
Director, Blum Center for Developing Economies