Success Story: Pitch Night prize results from innovation incubation

Oct 24, 2018 | Intercom, Student News

October 24, 2018

A quartet of NMC student entrepreneurs won the top prize at TC New Tech’s October Pitch Night, bringing their product another step closer to market and bolstering the college’s reputation as an innovation incubator.

Hybrid Robotics, comprised of four students in NMC’s engineering technology and marine technology programs, was the crowd’s “clear favorite” at the October 2 event, said Russell Schindler (on the left), founder of TC New Tech. In a Traverse City version of the Shark Tank TV show, they competed against four other companies seeking the $500 prize decided by a live audience vote at the City Opera House.

Each company got five minutes to pitch their idea and responded to five minutes of questions.

CEO Matt Goddard (second from left) co-presented their innovation, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of floating and deploying a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) into the water. The students built it in an engineering technology class last spring semester by customizing an off-the-shelf drone with everything from unique parts manufactured in the college’s 3-D printers to foam balls from JoAnn Fabrics. They are now refining the unit and concept.

“We’re trying to make a hybrid platform for the marine inspection industry,” Goddard said. “All this is proof of concept and we’re trying to get a production model by early next year.”

The $500 prize won’t get them there, but Schindler said Hybrid Robotics walks away with more than that one check.

“They now have bragging rights. They won the competition. It’s kind of an endorsement of their product, that they’re on the right track and deserve a second look by a serious investor.”

Goddard confirmed he and his colleagues, Ryan Mater, Clayton Harbin and Aaron Bottke have had such conversations since, but couldn’t reveal details.

Hybrid Robotics is now shaping up to be the second viable company to emerge from NMC’s Maker Space. Begun in 2014 at the Parsons-Stulen Building, the Maker Space offers both a place and a process for team-based, project learning that, when evolved to its highest level, can turn students into entrepreneurs. Interactive Aerial, a Traverse City company that specializes in drone inspections of interior, confined spaces, is the first.

“We wouldn’t have been able to build this without the support of NMC,” Mater told college trustees at an August presentation of the drone.

Instructor Keith Kelly (above), who taught the class in which the Hybrid Robotics team formed and developed their first unit, wants to see more.

“How can we make the transition with these teams from the college classrooms into startups?” Kelly asked. “That’s really the exciting stuff.”

STEM Exploration Day

Oct 24, 2018 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College is offering a fun and unique way to give back to the community while getting an up-close look at some of the most exciting new technology available on campus.

 Students will host the STEM Exploration Day from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Parsons-Stulen building on NMC’s Aero Park campus. The event benefits the Food for Thought “Fill the Pantries: Food Drive Challenge.” Products and funds collected will help fill shelves at four local student-based pantries, including:

• TLD Prayer Fyre
• Step Up Northern Michigan
• TBAISD Spirit Pantry
• NMC’s Food Pantry

Community members of all ages are invited to explore and play with some of the latest equipment from NMC programs including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, aviation flight simulators, welding, hybrid vehicles, 3D printer, virtual reality, building and programing games, cloud computing, engineering technology, marine technology and interactive robots. Participants will be able experience LEGO robotics, drones, virtual reality and more family-friendly activities.  

Two presentations geared towards students ages 13 and above will explore first STEM programs at NMC from 11 a.m.- noon and second, the STEM industry from 1- 2.m. Attendance at these two presentations are mandatory to be entered into a drawing to win a XBox and other fun prizes.

Other activities include face painting, a bake sale, crafts and a raffle. Suggested admission is five non-perishable food/hygiene items or $5 per person. There will be interactive exhibits for children and adults of all ages.

The NMC Food for Thought “Fill the Pantries: Food Drive Challenge” is a semester-long experiential learning project that pairs NMC students and the Northwest Michigan Food Coalition.

Release date: october 25, 2018

For more information:

Kristy McDonald
NMC instructor
(231) 995-1059
kmcdonald@nmc.edu

Fayth Lautner
Project Leader,  NMC’s Food for Thought
(231) 590-0626
lautnef@mail.nmc.edu

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination

NMC rises to No. 2 in Best for Vets community college rankings

Oct 23, 2018 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College has risen to the rank of second-best community college in the nation for its service to veterans, according to Military Times magazine.

The new, 2019 ranking improves upon the third-place position NMC achieved for 2018 among two-year colleges. NMC was also the only Michigan two-year college to make the publication’s Best for Vets list, published this week.

To determine the rankings, Military Times evaluated five factors veteran students say are important to them: culture, student support, cost and financial aid, policies and academic quality. Data from the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments as well as three federal education sources were also factored into the comprehensive assessment. Culture, weighted as the most significant category in all scores, was NMC’s strongest category.

NMC established an office of Military and Veteran Services in 2012. Led by Point of Contact Scott Herzberg, it works with the larger college community to foster an environment that leads to veteran success year-round.

“The men and women who have chosen to serve our country deserve our respect, our gratitude and our support,” Herzberg told Military Times. “They have invested time, energy, and passion with their whole being to do a job few in our nation now do. It’s our turn to serve them.”

Here are some of the investments NMC has made to earn the No. 2 ranking:

• Veteran-specific application and orientation, personal campus tour
• Veterans lounge
• Active chapter of Student Veterans of America
• Professional development offered to faculty, staff and advisers on how best to work with veterans
• Veterans Resource section in Osterlin Library—to educate civilians as well
• No-interest loans to veterans waiting for processing of their benefit checks, so they may enroll immediately
• NMC makes up the difference between military pay and NMC pay for reservist employees who are called to active duty. Family enrollment in all benefits also continues
• In-state (out of district) tuition rates for active duty military and their dependents, regardless of their legal residence (existed since 2008)
• Veteran Lending Library to save textbook costs
• Ongoing efforts to convert military service into academic credit
• Hiring our Heroes spring job fair at the Hagerty Center
• Red-white-and-blue cords to wear at Commencement, diplomas granted to service dogs

About five percent of NMC students are veterans or active-duty military.

Release Date: October 23, 2018

For more information:

Scott Herzberg
POC, Military and Veterans Affairs
(231) 995-2526
sherzberg@nmc.edu