Over two days during fall reading break, November 12 and 13, participants will learn about entrepreneurial thinking and how it can be applied to a wide range of scenarios.

“People often hear the word ‘entrepreneurship’ and think about business start-ups,” said Janine Carmichael, faculty specialist in entrepreneurship. “At Better Together, we’re equipping participants with new skills and building a mindset to move ideas to impact. And, we will have a lot of fun doing it while collaborating with new people. Last year, more than 100 faculty, staff and students participated and we can’t wait to bring this experiential learning to more people in 2024.”  

Benefits for participants

• Learn, practice and be inspired about how to apply entrepreneurial thinking.
• Develop solutions to real campus challenges.
• Meet new people, enjoy free food!
• Students will also receive a gift card to UMSU businesses (GPA’s, Degrees, IQ’s, etc.) and update their Experience Record.

Registration is open now. For more details and to register, visit Better Together

Read more about last year’s challenge.

Over two full days during fall reading week, November 14 and 15, faculty, staff and students will have the opportunity to learn about, practice and be inspired about the impact of entrepreneurial thinking skills.

“Sometimes we hear entrepreneurship, and think about start ups. Actually, entrepreneurial thinking skills are about a mindset that can be applied in lots of different contexts – within our lives, our workplaces, our communities,” said Janine Carmichael, faculty specialist in entrepreneurship.

Better Together is an experiential learning opportunity to explore that further. After several equipping sessions, interdisciplinary groups will set out to apply their developing skills to challenges at UM. Each challenge will be aligned to one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. On the second day, groups will share their process pitch, engage with a panel of entrepreneurial thinkers, and participate in a supportive networking event.

What’s in it for students?

• Learn, practice and be inspired about how to apply an entrepreneurial mindset
• Develop solutions to challenges at UM
• Receive a $100 gift card to spend at UMSU businesses
• Update Experience Record
• Meet new people
• Enjoy free food!

What’s in it for faculty and staff?

• Learn, practice and be inspired about how to apply an entrepreneurial mindset
• Develop solutions to challenges at UM
• Meaningfully connect with students
• Receive a gift valued at approximately $10 from a Manitoba entrepreneur
• Meet new people
• Enjoy free food!

For more details and to register, visit Better Together

“I’m entirely self-taught with a healthy dose of trial and error,” Szczerski added.

His journey continued with learning 3D CAD software to modify, design and print his own models. He now actively prints on filament and resin printers, and comfortably designs his own models for various purposes.

One of those purposes is to support faculty like Dr. Joy Stacey in Biological Sciences. Dr. Stacey teaches chordate and invertebrate labs and was intrigued about the potential of 3D printers in her teaching lab.

Dr. Stacey and Szczerski worked together to find high quality scans in public databases and then Szczerski assisted with editing the models to make them ready for printing. They targeted particular skulls that students were having the most trouble with learning. Dr. Stacey then devised a learning activity where students could paint their models as they learned to identify specific bones.

“Acquiring original bones or plastic copies is fairly expensive – usually a couple of hundred dollars each. But with 3D printing, we can get materials at less than two dollars per skull. That makes it feasible even for students to take them home as a good quality study aid,” Szczerski noted.  

Szczerski has also supported Dr. Carla Zelmer in Biological Sicences, who teaches flowering and non-flowering plants, by providing affordable models of plant cell organization. The models were enlarged and simplified in several ways to allows students a better visualization of the material.

Szczerski’s simple 3D printed add-ons also support the Buller Greenhouse with things like plant watering and bait traps to capture slugs.

Szczerski’s advice to others: “I think the best way to live life has always been to follow your passions and find ways to explore your own individuality and creativity. One never quite knows where things will go and many additional opportunities may be out there if you just start.”

Gallery of Carl Szczerski’s painted 3D models on display at the recent 3K Science Spark Pitch Competition from the Science Innovation Hub. Photo Credit: Mike Latschislaw

Get entrepreneurial at UM

For more information about how to bring an entrepreneurial mindset into your learning environment, get in touch with Janine Carmichael, Faculty Specialist: Entrepreneurship.

To spark your entrepreneurial spirit, visit The Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship.

To move your invention or research into a practical application, visit Partnerships and Innovation.