Entrepreneurship Director to Speak at UW Oct. 19

Douglas Melton will be the H.T. Person Distinguished Speaker for the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) at the University of Wyoming.

Melton is the director of the KEEN Program at the Kern Foundation. His presentation will be from 3-4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, in Room 306 of the Classroom Building. This annual CEAS event is open to the public.

The KEEN (Kern Engineering Entrepreneurship Network) Program works to facilitate integration of the entrepreneurial mindset into engineering degree programs. Melton’s message will have a connection with current initiatives, as developing the principles of entrepreneurship is a high priority for the CEAS.

UW announced the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) in March 2018, which will foster entrepreneurship among UW students, faculty and staff, and across the state, in a university-wide effort. Plans for the institute were developed by CEAS Dean Michael Pishko and College of Business Interim Dean David Chicoine. The institute connects with Gov. Matt Mead’s ENDOW (Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming) initiative, which aims to diversify Wyoming’s economy.

The university’s strategic plan calls for enhanced entrepreneurship programming across campus; more public-private partnerships; excellence in research; best-of-class technology transfer and commercialization; more royalty-generating licenses for existing and startup companies; new technologies and innovations derived from faculty research; and more university-based startup companies.

“Integration of entrepreneurial thinking into engineering is one of the most significant trends in engineering education today,” H.T. Person Professor Dennis Coon says. “The KEEN Program is at the forefront of this movement, and it is extremely exciting to have the opportunity to bring Dr. Melton to campus. His presentation is an exceptional opportunity to learn about the successes and the potential for this important development.”

The H.T. Person Professorship in Engineering Education was named in honor of H.T. Person, who served UW from 1929 to 1968 as a professor of civil engineering, head of the Department of Civil Engineering, dean of the college and 16th president of the university.