Student Designed tech solution garners more university interest

Student Designed, a web-based program that allows businesses and students to collaborate on real-world design challenges, has taken yet another step forward as a winner in Northern Kentucky University's inaugural UpTech class.

UpTech is a new business informatics incubator launched by several Northern Kentucky institutions, including Northern Kentucky University, Tri-Ed, ezone and Vision 2015. It's an intense, six-month accelerator program that includes $100,000 in funding. Companies will also be working with students and faculty at NKU's College of Informatics.

This follows Student Designed winning Xavier's Launch-A-Business competition in 2011.

"One of my biggest barriers was getting a relationship with schools," says Adam Treister, a University of Cincinnati grad who developed Student Designed in 2010. "Now I'll have a strong tie with NKU and the College of Informatics, and it's great to be involved with the innovative part of the school. I look forward to working with students to test the platform."

Student Designed allows design, engineering, architecture and other creative students to showcase their student work in a central place where businesses can check it out. Businesses could contact individual students they believe could help them with a project. University professors could also connect with businesses and use their design projects as teaching tools.

"Businesses are always looking for ways to more efficiently complete projects. Many have had the idea before to work with students, but there has been no clear way to do that very easily," Treister says. "Professors like the idea of giving students access to real-world projects, and this is also a way for students to get their foot in the door with companies that could hire them."

Student Designed is currently in Beta, and Treister hopes to have a more responsive and functional site designed during his time with UpTech.

By Feoshia Henderson
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