By Paula Pyzik Scott
Dr. Lauren Logan has created an Ohio Northern geotechnical engineering class with an entrepreneurial twist: junior civil and environmental engineering students learn techniques from museum exhibit designers and then create their own soil study displays. In November, the exhibits were featured in a showcase that was evaluated by student and faculty judges from across campus.
Borrowing restaurant terminology, Logan notes that the course’s “soft open” was conducted last year and that she hopes to make this an ongoing opportunity for students. The course and showcase were developed during an Engineering Unleashed Fellowship. The award comes from the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), which “focuses on developing an entrepreneurial mindset in undergraduate engineering students.”
Students were encouraged to find ways a general audience can relate to soil issues. Logan noted that museum displays are also becoming more interactive. KEEN funding gave groups up to $50 to create their displays.
