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EntrepreneurshipNew E-SHIP grad shareshis experience with the minorJared Mazzant, a May 2009 aerospaceengineering and engineering entrepreneurshipminor graduate, found a successful start tohis career immediately following graduation.Mazzant was hired by Dresser-Rand, a globalsupplier of rotating equipment solutionsmainly for the oil and gas industry. Heis currently enrolled in Dresser-Rand’sEngineering Management AccelerationProgram, a five-year rotational program thataims to train the next generation of upperlevelmanagement in house.As a brand new Penn State alum, Mazzantis eager to share his experience with theEngineering Entrepreneurship Minor andhow it has helped him reach success in hisprofessional life.Why did you choose to do the E-SHIPminor?I chose the E-SHIP minor for a few reasons.I definitely wanted to set myself apart fromother graduates in my major. If you taketwo similar resumes, a minor can makethe difference between starting your careerand moving back to your parents’ place.Additionally, I have plans in place to getmy MBA in the near future, and a businessrelatedminor seemed to be a great place toget my feet wet. Finally, I’ve always thoughtthat I would eventually want to own my ownbusiness, and this was a great way to evaluatewhether or not I really want to do it.What was the most valuable thing youtook away from the program?It’s hard to say one thing is “most valuable”because there is so much great stuff packedinto eighteen credits. The one thing thatstands out the most, though, is the abilitynot to think like an engineer. As engineers,we have the tendency to think logically andrationally with right and wrong in mind. Agood entrepreneur has that business thinktankmentality. A career is not always aboutthe numbers and the science; soft skills,business skills, and the ability to apply processand product innovation techniques are justas important. The constant brainstormingand discussions on innovation and thinkingoutside the box in the E-SHIP minor reallyflex a part of the brain that does not always getstimulated in the engineering curriculum.How has the E-SHIP minor helped youafter graduation? At your job?I can honestly say that I believe I would notbe working at this job if it were not for theE-SHIP minor. As an aerospace graduatespecializing in rocket propulsion and orbitaldynamics, I do not really fit in with all ofthe mechanical engineers at this two-billiondollar-plus,turbo-machinery company.However, during the interview process (asDresser-Rand was looking for future leaderswith more than just good technical skills anda high GPA) I was able to use my improvedpresentation skills, creative adventures, andbusiness plan and finance knowledge from theminor to really impress some people. I spenteighty percent of my weekend-long interviewusing and talking about things from theminor.What advice would you give toprospective and current E-SHIPstudents?As engineering students coming frombackgrounds in physics, calculus, engineeringmechanics, and the likes, the E-SHIP classeswill not challenge you if you do not letthem. Pour yourself into the minor and itsactivities. Try to destroy the other teams in thecompetitively graded portions. You will getso much more out of the course load if youtake it upon yourself to challenge everyone(including yourself and your professors) andeverything they say. Don’t be afraid to ask why,and be ready to be put on the spot. The minoris an absolute blast and a great experience.East AfricaTwo international opportunities incorporatingengineering design, humanitarian engineering, andengineering entrepreneurship exist in Africa. SeniorResearch Associate and Engineering Design InstructorKhanjan Mehta leads two semester-long projects withan additional three-week trip to East Africa in earlysummer.The first project, Mashavu: Networked HealthSolutions for the Developing World (www.mashavu.com), is a humanitarian design and socialentrepreneurial venture in East Africa. Mashavuenables medical professionals around the worldto connect with patients in the developing worldusing modern technology and communicationsinfrastructure. Trained operators at Mashavu stationsin developing communities collect essential medicalinformation from patients on a regular basis. Webservers aggregate this information from variousMashavu stations over a cell phone link and provideit on a Web-based portal. Medical professionalscan view the patient’s information and respondto the patient and the nearest doctor(s) with theirrecommendations. Students participate in this projectthrough EDSGN 452 Projects in Community ServiceEngineering or EDSGN 497C Design of DevelopingCommunities.The second project, WishVast: Building Trust andSocial Capital Using Cell Phones, is a cell phone-based social networking platform that harnesses thepervasiveness of cell phones in African countriesto build trust, optimize resource utilization andsupply chains, connect people and expand theirsocial networks, facilitate peer-to-peer trade, andhelp people emerge from poverty. The WishVastteam works with a diverse set of non-governmentalorganizations and governmental and industrypartners in East Africa to test the system and identifythe best application scenarios and revenue models tocommercialize WishVast. Students participate in thisproject through EDSGN 452 Projects in CommunityService Engineering or EDSGN 497C Design ofDeveloping Communities.For more information and for ways to get involvedwith these projects, contact Khanjan Mehta atkhanjan@engr.psu.eduI N T E r N a T I O N a L P r O g r a M s42 | SEDTAPP NEwS | SPriNg 2010 SPriNg 2010 | SEDTAPP NEwS | 43