polygoncollege of technology and innovation

Issue 03 // Summer 2013

CTI team finds alternative catalysts for fuel cells

Soft drink study explores consumer choices

New CTI degree addresses issues in health care reform

TEM program: a place to dream big

CTI students play important role in launching satellites

CTI student’s contact exchange mobile app debuts online

&A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

Student team debuts solar invention at Ariz. state capitol

WiSE women organize high school leadership summit

According to the Time Use Institute, the average amount of time spent grocery shopping is 41 minutes. That figure comes to no surprise when considering that shoppers often study the brand, packaging, advertising and ingredients of a product before making a purchase. One study taking place at CTI hopes to make sense of food buying choices by examining consumer purchase decision of soft drinks.

Carola Grebitus, assistant professor of Food Industry Management at the Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management, and Ph.D. candidate Karen Lewis conducted a study this April that examined why consumers make market decisions about soft drinks and energy drinks. The team studied consumer preferences and willingness to pay for various types of beverages containing different sweeteners.

The team has finished data collection and is now in the process of analyzing responses.

The study asked participants to purchase one 20-ounce bottle of soda and provide

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feedback on the motivation behind their decision. Participants were also asked to blindly taste several samples of different types of cola and energy drinks.

“Most studies measure decision making without considering the taste,” Grebitus said. “But those studies which consider both finds that results are very different. Packaging might be appealing and influence decision making; however, once the taste has been taken into account, results might change dramatically when consumers find they don’t like the taste at all.”

Grebitus and Lewis were assisted by CTI graduate students Dan Wang and SophieTheron Winter.

“Without their help and commitment to our study, we could have never done it,” Grebitus said. “Their work was key for us to run a study as ambitious as this one.”

The study was sponsored by the Scholarship Support and Enhancement Grant Program, which grants funds for various studies taking place within CTI. //

CTI team finds alternative catalysts for fuel cells

Soft drink study explores consumer choices

Led by faculty and students of Food Industry Management at the Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management, the team studied consumer preferences and willingness to pay for various types of beverages containing different sweeteners.

Researchers at CTI teamed up with researchers from the University of Tartu in Estonia to explore alternatives to platinum catalysts for low temperature fuel cells. The project began in August 2010 and the team continues to develop newer catalyst materials to replace platinummetal catalysts. Researchers of both institutions hope to develop less expensive non-noble catalysts with as much catalytic activity as more expensive platinum catalysts.

CTI Professor Arunachalanadar Madakannan (Kannan), principal investigator on the project, is supported by by a team of CTI and University of Tartu students.

According to Madakannan, the team is researching new catalysts for alkaline membrane fuel cells which are currently used in NASA’s space missions. These fuel cells with alkaline polymer membranes using non-noble catalysts can replace or become competitive with the proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Earlier this year, the team successfully determined several non-platinum cathode catalysts that will aid in the discovery of these alternative materials.

“It is very important to reduce the cost of fuel cells by developing earth-abundant transition group elements,” Kannan said.

Additionally, these fuel cells could also be used for transportation and portable applications once the cost becomes affordable with non-noble metal catalysts, Kannan said.

The project is funded by the CRDF (U.S. National Science Foundation) and the Estonian Science Foundation. //

Led by a team of Food Industry Management faculty and students, participants of the soft drink study were asked to taste various soft drinks and energy drinks that contained different types of sweeteners.

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New CTI degree addresses issues in health care reform

CTI’s newly announced Bachelor of Science in Health Systems degree will produce students who are equipped to lead and affect change in the way health care systems are managed.

With the rising changes in the health care industry, CTI is responding to an increased need for health management professionals by introducing the Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Management program at the ASU Polytechnic campus, beginning in Fall 2013. The program encourages the development of health system leaders equipped to develop innovative solutions in response to changing health policy.

The degree offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the health care industry through courses in information technology, management and leadership, as well as human centered service design. Students will learn to develop solutions that address health system problems at multiple levels.

CNN, Fortune & Money announced in December 2011 that among a list of ten careers projected to become the most in-demand jobs over the next few years, the top three careers are information technology- or health care-related, and experts say it is due in part because of anticipated health care reform.

Craig Thatcher, associate dean of CTI, predicts that because new legislation has made it possible for an increased number of Americans to obtain and have greater accessibility to health coverage, health care industries will need to reconsider their current models of management.

“Health systems need to consider how they are going to meet the growing demand for health care and think about who is going to drive change,” Thatcher said. “This change will be driven by recent graduates with a background in health systems management who are eager to impact the way that health care systems function and improve efficiency and effectiveness.”

Students in the program can choose from a focus in Information Technology Management, Operations Management, Training and Development, or Service Design. Regardless of the focus chosen

by a student, the program requires all participants to enroll in core classes that develop well-rounded students prepared for a broad scope of careers in the health industry. This core list of classes will include teaching cultural aspects of health, modern health care systems in the U.S., information storing and retrieval, understanding the enterprise, and other areas relevant to management in the health industry.

Graduates will be prepared for various analyst and management positions in the health industry, but ultimately the program will produce students who are equipped to lead and affect change in the way health care systems are managed.

“This new degree is aligned with an important industry sector,” Thatcher said. “As is true for all CTI degrees, industry partners will be part of the learning process, providing students with real-world projects and learning experience as part of their program.”

The degree is in partnership with ASU’s School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, which will provide the five core health-related classes.

Director of the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion Linda Vaughan says it is paramount for students to understand current health systems in the U.S., particularly if they are trying to change or manage them.

“Students need to understand the context in which these programs will be implemented and tools used. Culture is a key to that context,” Vaughan said. “If a specific culture, for example, finds certain practices offensive or unacceptable, program managers, developers or implementers need to know that. Knowledge of best practices is an economic essential.”

The new program will also serves as a feeder program for students who want to study health administration and other health technology-oriented programs at the graduate level.

Thatcher says that we are at a critical time in the health industry.

“There is growing national discussion about how health care systems need to be rethought in order to be more efficient, outcomes driven and value driven,” said Thatcher. These are clear indicators that there is a huge need for people with a background in health systems management. This new degree will develop creative problem solvers who are interested in challenging careers and being part of solving important problems facing our state and nation.”

CTI also recently announced new degree programs in Information Technology and Pre-Veterinary Medicine. //

For more information on the Health Systems Management degree program, please contact: Craig Thatcher, College of Technology and Innovation: Craig.Thatcher@asu.edu

CTI students play important role in launching satellites

For the traditional student, studying might involve hours stuck at a cramped desk surrounded by textbooks, notepads and study materials. For one group of students at CTI, studying takes on a whole new meaning. With over 50 hours per week spent on fabricating aluminum joints and building models from manufacturing software, six CTI students are developing a model of a system for engineers at Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) to test their assembly process.

With a curriculum that blends real-world problem solving and academics in a culminating capstone called iProjects, teams of CTI students work with industry partners to create innovative solutions to real problems faced by national and local businesses and organizations.

Orbital, a developer and manufacturer of satellite and space launch systems, coordinated with CTI students to manufacture a system that will allow for testing of assembly procedures.

According to CTI student and Orbital team member Alex Helms, Orbital was contracted to develop and assemble more than 80 satellite systems to replace the current Iridium constellation of communication satellites launched in the 1990’s. In order to do this, Orbital asked CTI’s student team to create an exact replica of an Iridium NEXT satellite service module using materials less expensive than the actual service module. When the project is completed, Orbital will use the replica to assess how they plan on assembling this next generation of Iridium satellites.

Although actual Iridium satellites are built from costly materials like titanium, the team modified their satellite design by using less expensive materials.

The system, called the Iridium NEXT satellite vehicle, is a support structure designed to facilitate the easy manipulation of fragile satellites. These space-grade satellites must be moved around an air- and pressure-controlled laboratory to replicate delicate conditions in space.

The vehicle debuts at CTI’s Innovation Showcase on May 1, and the final system will be packaged and sent to Orbital this summer.

Helms said the process began when he and students Jason Roberts, Daniel Bahena, Jay Balk, Anthony Carriedo and Chris Zappettini were selected to fulfill the project. Orbital gave the team design requirements from which they based their final design.

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The spring Innovation Showcase will highlight a myriad of student- and industry-collaborated projects, including one project that will help a leading company launch satellites.

Six CTI students worked with Orbital Sciences Corporation to manufacture an exact replica model of the Iridium NEXT satellite service module. Their model will help engineers assess and redesign assembly procedures for over 80 communication satellites that will be launched in the near future.

Six CTI students worked with Orbital Sciences Corporation to manufacture an exact replica model of the Iridium NEXT satellite service module. Their model will help engineers assess and redesign assembly procedures for over 80 communication satellites that will be launched in the near future.

Parts of the satellite vehicle were manufactured using an industry-standard CNC vertical milling machine, which is just one of several milling machines available for student use at the Polytechnic campus.

Zappettini says that working with Orbital has been a positive experience and the team has learned first-hand about working in a corporation.

“We toured their facilities, and Orbital gave us an in-depth experience of what it is like to complete a project in the real world from beginning to end,” Zappettini said. “They expected a lot of us and really treated us like employees.”

As part of the iProjects program, students implement theories learned in the classroom and they develop job-ready skills like project management, budgeting, teamwork and business etiquette that put them ahead of the curve when seeking employment after graduation.

Team members say they already have engineering jobs lined up after graduation or are currently working as engineers while in school.

Zappettini said the project has helped him with his efficiency skills.

“We have worked at a much quicker pace because of tight deadlines to finish the project, and this will definitely be a skill that I will bring with me to other jobs,” Zappettini said. “We wouldn’t have gotten this experience anywhere else. That’s for sure.” //

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innovation showcase and team orbital

BY THE NUMBERS

83Total projects at innovation showcase

204Hours Team Orbital spent last weekend on their project

50Average hours/week Team Orbital members spent in the SIM Building

30Total iProjects

6Average team size

8Months they spent working on the project

10Average days the recycling bin full of energy drink cans has to be emptied

1Faculty advisor to Team Orbital

300+Total parts to their Iridim NEXT Mockup vehicle

10PMFavorite time to work on the project

6Total team members

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When Jake Slatnick, a sophomore at CTI, wanted to exchange phone numbers with a group of students he met at a football game, he realized there was no easy way to do it. Traditionally, he would have to key in every contact’s name and phone number, which alone can be cumbersome, while additional forms of contact information like personal email and website, social media sites and professional information would make the process even more of a hassle.

“There was no easy and quick way to exchange contact information between an entire group,” Slatnick said.

That’s when he developed Tap Contact Exchange, a mobile app that allows users to easily bundle and exchange information. The app debuted in the Apple Store and on Android’s Google Play last month.

The app requires the user to create various “Tap cards” that categorize information for different purposes. For example, a user might have business contact information on a networking Tap card, personal contact information on a social Tap card, or school-related contact information on a separate Tap card, Slatnick says.

The app locates Tap Contact Exchange users nearby. To give out a Tap card, users first send out a request to a contact that will appear within the selected radius (users can select a range of up to five miles). Once the request is granted, users decide on what Tap card to send.

Slatnick, a technological entrepreneurship and management major, says that he began raising money from private investors in September 2011 while conducting market research. Part of Slatnick’s success in launching the app is due in part from collaborating with CTI professors throughout the process.

“I tried to make the process as interdisciplinary as possible,” Slatnick said. “I leveraged the wisdom of experts in different fields like engineering, psychology, mobile technology and entrepreneurship to have a truly complete understanding of my market.”

Part of Slatnick’s research included weekly meetings with CTI faculty in these fields who helped launch his idea.

“All of the professors in CTI have been so helpful and have motivated me every step of the way to never give up on this idea,” Slatnick said.

As CEO of Tap Contact Exchange, Slatnick is joined by fellow CTI students Michael Howell, Joseph Stratton, Brandon Sleater and Christopher Riha.

“CTI has been the best place to find innovative and driven students who want to make ideas happen,” Slatnick said. “Just like most students here, I am passionate about the vision of CTI, and I hope CTI will start receiving even more recognition from future students as a place where you can turn your ideas into reality.” //

TEM program: a place to dream big

CTI student’s contact exchange mobile app debuts online

Jake Slatnick, developer of the Tap Contact Exchange App, is a student in the technological entrepreneurship and management (TEM) program at CTI. Like most students in the program, Slatnick aspires to be a business owner and turn his ideas into reality. Lecturer Aram Chavez says that TEM students aren’t the only ones that have dreams of entrepreneurship.

“CTI is all about giving students from all majors an opportunity to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams,” Chavez said. “You bring the dream and we structure it.”

Chavez is not just a lecturer who teaches finance, strategic planning, marketing and leadership; he spearheads the college’s Skunkworks, which refers to the innovative portion of project development that steers away from traditional thinking. Along with other faculty and staff, Chavez makes himself available for all CTI students who have a business idea.

“We see students from all sorts of majors interested in monetizing an idea—students from engineering, aeronautics, aviation, even graphic information,” Chavez said.

Along with supportive faculty, CTI enables students to become entrepreneurs by providing ways of financially funding student projects. ASU’s Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative grants over $200,000 annually for student innovations, and CTI also has funds available specifically for CTI students.

“Students also have access to state-of-the-art labs and materials that give them a step-up in the production process,” Chavez said.

Students of all levels can take advantage of CTI’s entrepreneurial culture, including a unique environment of collaboration between disciplines.

“As faculty and staff at CTI, we truly want to see our students succeed. We try to make the environment here as open as possible to different ideas, and we encourage students to collaborate and take action on an idea,” Chavez said. “You come to CTI to dream and dream big.” //

Student team debuts solar invention at Ariz. state capitol

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Three ASU Preparatory Academy sophomores participating in CTI’s “Make Your Ideas Happen Workshop” visited Arizona’s state capitol on March 27 to debut their contribution to solar innovation.

The event celebrated the breakthroughs of Scottsdale-based research and development company Monarch Power and featured recognition by Governor Jan Brewer of solar innovation and growing manufacturing jobs in Arizona.

In collaboration with Monarch Power, the team introduced the concept of using power generated by Monarch Power’s Lotus solar energy collector to create an alternative energy source for vending machines. In partnership with the China Mist Tea Company, the team plans on finalizing their idea over the course of the semester and use any proceeds from the project to benefit the MPower Foundation and the new Startup Lab student club at ASU Preparatory Academy.

The students chose to call the project the Lotus Flower Power project, paying homage to their all-female group and a play on Monarch’s Lotus technology that resembles a flower when in use.

The team is comprised of Ciara Earl, Kassie Garcia and Amanda Vaillancourt, with WiSE advisor Robyn McKay and CTI student Nicole Deopere as mentors.

High school students from across the valley can participate in CTI’s “Make Your Ideas Happen Workshops,” taking place in eight-week periods in the fall and spring semesters on the ASU Polytechnic campus. The workshop allows for high school students interacting with ASU MAKE class students to make a new product or create a solution to a problem in a structured and mentored environment. CTI faculty and staff serve as resources for students as they develop their ideas and take them to market. //

For information about the high school “Make Your Ideas Happen Workshop,” go to www.technology.asu.edu/makehsworkshop.

The Women of Science and Engineering (WiSE) invited high school students from around the valley to the Career Choices and Leadership Summit. Participants attended breakout sessions that inspired them to succeed.

WiSE women organize high school leadership summitThe Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) at the Polytechnic campus held their first annual Career Choices and Leadership Summit. Our goal as an organization is to encourage women to pursue pathways in science, engineering, and technology. High schoolers from all around Arizona joined in attendance for this first-time event.

On the first day of the summit, attendees went to an exclusive viewing of “Girl Rising,” a documentary film showing girls from all around the world fighting to stand up and stand out. After the viewing of the film, guests joined in on a reflection of the film and held an in-depth discussion on the impact this film had on their thoughts. Day two of the summit included community forums and breakout sessions with the WiSE executive board. During each community forum, all girls in attendance explored topics including 10 keys to designing a life that you love, how to make good career choices and learning what you can do to keep your ingenuity alive. Between each forum, attendees broke out into smaller groups to attend

two breakout sessions of their choice. The sessions being offered included a variety of innovation and critical thinking including repurposing materials, learning about your inner superpowers and using social media to build your professional brand. Each breakout session offered a unique perspective of thinking and collaborative and hands on interaction with WiSE executive board members and advisors.

At the conclusion of the summit, the WiSE team regrouped with the summit participants at the Polytechnic campus “Make Board.” Each attendee took the opportunity to post their own message on the board. The girls in attendance at the first annual WiSE Career Choices and Leadership Summit were inspired when they left the conference to continue on their own paths to success and pursue every opportunity presented to them. //

-Guest contributor, Alexandra Morris, WiSE Communications Director

Key Datesevent description

Breakfast with the DeanMay 1, 2013 / 7:30am-9amASU Polytechnic

You are invited to meet members of CTI’s executive team as well as hearing directly from Dean Mitzi Montoya.

Innovation ShowcaseMay 1, 2013 / 9:00am-1pmSun Devil Fitness Complex, ASU Polytechnic

The Innovation Showcase is amassive exhibit of student projects. Free and open to the public, come see what we’ve been innovating.

contact usFor more information:(480) 727-5232To submit story ideas:(480) 727-5251

7231 E Sonoran Arroyo MallSantan Hall #330Mesa, AZ 85212

twitter: @asuctifacebook: asucti

technology.asu.edu

A polygon has many angles that join up to make a unique shape. They take on countless forms, from the simplest of equilaterals to complex self-intersecting designs.

CTI is like a polygon. We teach and learn from different perspectives that create an interconnected yet diverse community of makers.

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ConvocationMay 10, 2013ASU PolytechnicTickets are required.

Department of Engineering: Sun Devil Fitness Complex, 10am

Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management: Aravaipa Auditorium, 10am

Department of Technological Entrepreneurship and Management: Sun Devil Fitness Complex