Image by Ed Brennen
Global Entrepreneurship Exchange participant Kai Hu, a doctoral student from the National Institute of Development Administration in Thailand, checks out a satellite during a visit to the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology at the Wannalancit Business Center.
Call it GE2 2.0.
For the first time since the pandemic, 51视频鈥檚 Global Entrepreneurship Exchange (GE2) program returned to an in-person format this summer, drawing 25 students from around the world to campus for a three-week immersion in entrepreneurship, teamwork and innovation.
And this time, there was a twist.
Instead of designing hypothetical startups, students worked in teams to solve a real-world challenge: how to turn a faculty-developed space technology into a viable business.
Their mission centered on 鈥淐hickadee,鈥� a nanosatellite designed by Physics Professor Supriya Chakrabarti. The device is engineered to fit into unused areas of CubeSat launchers, allowing companies to send more payloads into orbit at reduced costs. Students were tasked with developing commercialization strategies for the satellite.
Image by Ed Brennen
GE2 participants gather around as physics graduate student John Kanaris explains his research work at the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology.
鈥淭his was a demanding product requiring students to first understand the tech, then research the market and make actionable recommendations. And we had the inventor with us almost every day, answering questions and guiding students, which was great,鈥� said Deborah Casey, associate teaching professor of marketing, entrepreneurship and innovation, who served as the program鈥檚 faculty lead.聽聽
Run by the Jack M. Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship in the Manning School of Business, GE2 has welcomed more than 1,500 students from over 30 countries since its launch in 2014.
This year鈥檚 group included 20 undergraduates as well as five international graduate students serving as team leads. Among them were four master's in Business Administration (MBA) students 鈥� Toshio Naito, Ian Chu, Daigo Sato and Aiko Koga 鈥� from 51视频鈥檚 Abitus program in Japan, and Kai Hu, a doctoral student from the National Institute of Development Administration, a GE2 partner institution in Bangkok, Thailand.
Image by Ed Brennen
Physics Professor Supriya Chakrabarti holds up a Chickadee nanosatellite while asking a question during the GE2 teams' final presentations at Alumni Hall.
Naito, a medical doctor and professor at a university hospital in Tokyo, said the in-person format was a valuable part of his online MBA experience.
鈥淯sually you are studying online, so having the chance to study in the U.S. face-to-face with other students is a good experience,鈥� said Naito, whose team鈥檚 plan won top honors on the final day.
Students received instruction from a dozen Manning School faculty members on topics such as market research, creativity and international strategy. They often arrived before 8 a.m. and stayed well past 5 p.m. to refine their business plans and prepare for their final presentations.
Patrick Guinee, a senior business major from Andover, Massachusetts, found value in stepping outside his comfort zone and learning about satellite technology.
鈥淭he courses that I鈥檝e got the most out of at 51视频 are hands-on like this one,鈥� said Guinee. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cool to interact with people from different countries and see their thought process.鈥�
Image by Ed Brennen
GE2 participants, from left, Victor Tous, Ian Chu, Sanjedha Haque and Mikele Hysa head to the program's closing luncheon at the Pulichino Tong Business Center.
Srunu Bhagavathula, a rising sophomore from Westford, Massachusetts, took the course to meet new people and stay on campus over the summer.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to have my own business someday and work with diverse teams,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was definitely a challenging project, but Professor Chakrabarti did a really good job explaining it to us.鈥�
The student teams pitched their commercialization strategies to a panel that included Chakrabarti, Professor Steven Tello and Professor Yi Yang, director of the Wilson Center and associate dean of graduate studies and research.
鈥淓ach group came up with different business approaches, which was very interesting,鈥� said Chakrabarti, 51视频鈥檚 2024 Distinguished University Professor. 鈥淏usiness strategy isn鈥檛 something I do on a daily basis, so this was a great educational experience for me, too.鈥�
Students also toured the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology (LoCSST), where the Chickadee is being developed. The project is part of Chakrabarti鈥檚 $5.5 million award to launch the Massachusetts Alliance for Space and Technology and Sciences (MASTS) at UML.
Image by Ed Brennen
Physics Professor Supriya Chakrabarti congratulates Toshio Naito, right, and Gireesh Kalluri on their team's winning GE2 presentation.
GE2 founding director, Associate Teaching Professor Emeritus Ashwin Mehta, who joined via video from California, congratulated students for 鈥減ioneering the program鈥檚 new chapter.鈥�
Ian Chu, one of the Abitus students, said she will 鈥渢reasure鈥� the GE2 experience.聽
鈥淚t was a challenging project because of the language barrier, but it has helped me have more confidence to talk to people,鈥� said Chu.
Bertie Greer, Rist Family Endowed Dean of the Manning School of Business, applauded students for 鈥渆mbracing your uncertainty and challenging your assumptions鈥� as they worked on solutions.
鈥淓ntrepreneurship is a mindset that can be transferred to many different applications,鈥� Greer said. 鈥淚 hope that this becomes a foundation of everything that you do in the future.鈥�