Follow the
Active Grant Projects and Status
Grants
Waste-to-Energy - Part Three (W2E2)
Research will be conducted to investigate the possibility of Lake Erie College recycling our own animal waste from the Equestrian program. Animal waste, paper and other waste can be turned into fuel pellets and sold for profit. This research will determine our ability to produce marketable pellets. A financial assessment will then be necessary to determine the feasibility of producing such pellets on a much larger scale. Student interns as well as students from EQ401 and ET 201 classes will be involved in the project with the possible carryover into the EQ402 and ET211 classes in the spring.
Progress is being done on EPA testing to determine additional type of binding before looking to use for heating Equine Center Arena. A SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) and Equine team has been established to further explore the commercialization of the W2E pellets. With the announcement of Patt-McDaniel Announces American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Awards Transforming Waste to Value fund of $86 million, along with the primary theme of "Strategic Investments Will Be Used to Capture Energy and Reduce Emissions” and the description of the fund criteria, our W2E project has a very good chance of being funded for commercialization. A percentage of each sale will be returned to the Center for Entrepreneurship, thereby assisting in the self-sustainability of the Center.
Dr. James Welch
Class lectures were attended by 19 students and three faculty. The open recital was attended by 23 students, seven faculty, two staff, and 22 community members.
Dr. Steven Cagan
Presented his photographic exhibition entitled "El Choco, Colombia: Struggle for Cultural & Environmental Survival – An Everyday Resistance” to the LEC community. Held a class lecture for the art major students and Spanish language students that concluded with a three-hour roundtable discussion and Q&A session.
A total of 53 students, faculty, staff and community members attended the final lecture, presentation and art exhibit.
Mobile Application Development iApps
Course that will teach students and faculty how to develop Smart Phone applications and license or sell the developed apps. The CFE is working with Steven Gutierrez with the course development, supplies and application license fees for future sales of developed applications. The Center for Entrepreneurship will receive revenues from the sale of the mobile applications that will assist the Center in becoming self-sustaining.
Equine Center Cargill Nutrina Horse Protein Project
Started as an intern project to determine the best feeding practices and feed mixture for a multi-breed horse herd, but findings were presented at the Horse Congress Show and the lead R & D Directors of Cargill contacted LEC to see if a collaborative effort could be started. While working with the Center for Entrepreneurship, all LEC parties involved developed a plan for a joint working relationship that would end up in a commercial venture. The next meeting with Cargill was in June at their R & D facility in Wisconsin.
The entire CFE funding for this project has been $3,250.00 to date with an expectation that the travel expense to and from Ohio to Wisconsin is estimated to be an additional $2,500.00.
Contests
ideaLab
Concept competition for LEC and the EEC (Entrepreneurship Education Consortium). A total of 16 cross-curricular students entered. Based on their ideas and presentations, eight finalists were chosen to give formal presentations in front of a panel of judges; first, second and third-place winners were selected. The first place winner then represented LEC at the University of Akron ideaLab competition with the other EEC and one non-EEC schools. All students are given the opportunity to expand their concept plans at LEC, whether they are finalists or not. The entrepreneurs-in-residence held workshops for all LEC students, not just the ideaLab participants.
1st Place ($2,500) – Katie Stockdale, "The Stallion Market”
2nd Place ($1,500) – Rick Carreira, "Hands First Goalkeeper Academy”
3rd Place ($1,000) – Gus Armbruster & Chris Smith, "Gus Bus”
Idea & Innovation Challenge
A total of 31 cross-curricular students entered. They brought their business ideas to a group of judges that reduced the 31 to a total of eight finalists. Once the eight finalists were selected, formal presentations were given in front of a panel of judges made up of two EIRs, two faculty members, and a business owner. From the finalists there were 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners selected. The three finalists will have an opportunity to further pursue their business plan ideas in a Senior Practicum class starting in the fall 2011 semester. The LEC EIRs will continue to mentor, coach and work with these students until graduation.
