Work with the KEEN Network fosters entrepreneurial mindset in engineering students

Written by Alison Parkins on |
mechanical engineering student

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science is building its relationship with KEEN – a nationwide network of engineering institutions dedicated to advancing engineering education – and the collaboration brings many benefits to students and faculty, according to Dr. Jessica Fick, associate professor of mechanical engineering.

According to its website, “KEEN is a network of thousands of engineering faculty […] working to unleash undergraduate engineers so that they can create personal, economic and societal value through the entrepreneurial mindset.” The organization partners with 45 institutions across the country. While UW-Platteville is not yet a partner, the institution is taking steps by becoming more involved.

“KEEN’s mission is to graduate engineers with an entrepreneurial mindset,” said Fick. “They are not trying to make students into entrepreneurs necessarily, but to think like an entrepreneur through the three C’s: creativity, connections, and creating value.”

Fick explained that UW-Platteville and the KEEN organization share similar values, and a partnership will help amplify the work faculty are already doing and support UW-Platteville’s mission to be a leader in engineering education.

“The KEEN network provides a lot of support to implement things we all value – more active learning, problem-based learning, and helping to address some of those outcomes and objectives that are difficult to address,” said Fick. “Another piece of the KEEN mission is collaboration. They encourage us to share and collaborate with other institutions, and that’s another benefit to faculty and students. Collaborations with other schools are sometimes difficult to set up, and KEEN provides the pathway.”

“We are really excited to deepen our connection with the KEEN network, the benefits of which will positively impact the student experience,” said Dr. Molly Gribb, dean of the College of EMS. “It’s really a perfect fit for us, and I’m grateful for Dr. Fick’s leadership of this initiative on behalf of UW-Platteville.”

To introduce more of the KEEN learning objectives and pedagogy to UW-Platteville faculty, Fick and colleagues are coordinating monthly Teaching with Impact symposiums. While the relationship with KEEN originates in the College of EMS, Fick said she is hoping to involve not only all disciplines of engineering at UW-Platteville, but also many other academic departments across campus.

For more information about KEEN or the Teaching with Impact symposiums, contact Fick at meulbroj@uwplatt.edu.