Art of Innovation Conference looks at the future
The many facets of innovation and entrepreneurship were in the spotlight October 14 at the fourth annual Art of Innovation Conference. The conference, a joint project of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, David Nazarian College of Business and Economics and Ernie Schaeffer Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, celebrated the broad range of trends and opportunities materializing in 21st century entrepreneurship. Sessions included Intrapreneurship versus Entrepreneurship (what it takes to succeed if someone is starting a new business or going to work for a large company); Social Entrepreneurship: Balancing Purpose with Profit (creating a for-profit, entrepreneurial venture that is designed to solve a social issue), and The Future of Technology (what kinds of unconventional technologies might exist in 50 to 100 years).
Speakers represented a wide variety of backgrounds, including education and social entrepreneurship, software, digital media, biotech, management consulting, systems engineering, creative consulting and more. The keynote speaker was Dr. Asad M. Madni, former president, chief operating officer and chief technology officer of BEI Technologies Inc., where he led the development and commercialization of intelligent sensors and systems for aerospace, military, commercial and transportation industries.
The purpose of the all-day event, according to conference co-chair Shereazad Jimmy Gandhi, assistant professor of manufacturing systems engineering & management and director of the Schaeffer Center, is to expose students to entrepreneurship and instill an entrepreneurial mindset in them. And, he notes, “We don’t charge anything to the students so we can make it accessible to all.” With close to 100 attendees, mostly students, the conference clearly achieved that goal.
In addition to CECS and the Nazarian College, sponsors included the Department of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management, the CSUN Division of Academic Affairs, and the Rocky Peak Leadership Center.
