Achievement

IGERT fellows were given preparation and training to participate in "elevator pitch" competitions. An IGERT Fellow and a pre-IGERT Fellow participated in i3 this spring. i3 is all about translating research into value and real-world impact. It encourages graduate students to consider how the ideas and innovations they are developing through their research could become the foundation for new products, new commercially valuable processes, and even new companies. It requires that they distill their work and its potential value into a brief presentation that can be made without the aid of PowerPoints, props or other visuals. In short, it requires students to think like entrepreneurs. Participants develop a three-minute presentation, or pitch, that explains how their innovation addresses an important commercial or societal need, why it is better than existing technology or processes, and how it might gain the interest of the marketplace.