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Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management

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The Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management was established in 1989 with a grant from a private foundation to honor a distinguished alumnus of the College of Engineering, Mr. John Thomas Walter,  native of Selma, AL, and  former EDS executive. Mr. Walter received a degree in engineering physics from Auburn University in 1955 and has become one of the most accomplished graduates. From the inception, the center is devoted to training engineering and business students in common programs and to study and improve the solutions to problems at the interface between business and engineering. The center is a unit of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering while being a joint effort of the colleges of engineering and business.

The Center works in collaboration with like-minded universities; it has ties with the University of Plymouth, UK, and India Institute of Technology (Delhi), India, whose students participate in joint product development projects with B-E-T students at the Center.

GOALS

Develop and maintain a distinctive minor for business and engineering students for teaching new product and new business launch through teamwork. The vehicle for this is the Business- Engineering-Technology Program.

Assist Auburn University to commercialize new inventions while training teams of graduate business and engineering students to acquire commercialization skills.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAMS

  1. Business-Engineering-Technology Program: The motto of the program is “Launching New Products and Businesses Through Teamwork.” Faculty members associated with the Center design and offer the unique Business-Engineering-Technology (B-E-T) minor for selected engineering and business undergraduate students. This minor maybe added onto any major in the two colleges. Students are trained in cross-functional teamwork and entrepreneurial skills. This is a two year minor starting each fall semester. Selected students are admitted in each January for fall semester start. About 40 students are admitted each year. Student teams from this program have entered business plan contests in other universities. Some students have patentable inventions resulting from their class work. The Center provides guidance to students on IP protection, where needed.

    2.  

  2. Technology Commercialization
    The Center assists the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), Auburn University, in commercializing new inventions of Engineering Faculty. The process of commercialization covers market research, identification of potential licensors, technical and economic implications of scaling the invention to commercial size, complete business plan preparation when necessary, and appropriate recommendation to the Office of Technology Transfer for patenting of inventions. Graduate students from the colleges of business and engineering are trained and engaged in this task. Over 60 inventions have been processed at the Center; one was licensed as a direct result of the efforts of the Center. The Center maintains ties with potential licensees and investors and uses various marketing tools to get high-technology inventions to the market. Over 30 graduate students have been trained in the process.

PERSONNEL

        Dr. Paul Swamidass -      Director and Professor of Operations Management.
                                               Webpage: http://www.eng.auburn.edu/center/twc/swamidass.htm

A highly-skilled team of professors offer interdisciplinary courses, often in teams. The faculty members associated with the Center have their home departments in various colleges or units within the university.

Thomas Walter Technology Management Professors

These Professorships in Technology Management are awarded to selected faculty members from the colleges of business and engineering who have meritorious qualifications and have teaching and program responsibilities in the B-E-T program. The Center also draws on a wide range of distinctive teachers through the Faculty Affiliates and Adjunct professors appointments. Interested teachers are encouraged to contact the Director. The Technology Management Professors are (March 2009):

Faculty affiliates

Adjunct Professor

The activities of Thomas Walter Center are made possible by endowments, gifts, Auburn University funds, and research sponsors including the National Science Foundation (USA) and private businesses. In 2006, Mr. Tom Walter made a generous gift to help the Center continue to pursue its mission. For information on the Thomas Walter Center of Technology Management, please contact:

Thomas Walter Center
Ramsay Hall, Room 211
Auburn University, AL 36849
Phone: 334/844-4333
Fax: 334/844-1678
 http://www.eng.auburn.edu/center/twc/index_trial.html

Email: swamidas@auburn.edu

 
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