UC joins as partner in prestigious Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network
The University of Cincinnati’s College of Engineering and Applied Science is a new partner with the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network, a coalition dedicated to equipping engineering students with an entrepreneurial mindset.
This collaboration, supported by the Kern Family Foundation, empowers engineering programs to inspire curiosity, connections, and value creation in their graduates, preparing them to address real-world challenges with innovative solutions.
UC will collaborate with more than 65 leading engineering institutions to integrate entrepreneurial skills into its curriculum, helping students build careers that contribute to economic and societal progress. Through shared resources, faculty training, and development opportunities, the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network, or KEEN, provides support for faculty and students.
“Since the launch of our strategic direction, ‘Next Lives Here,’ in 2018, the University of Cincinnati has set a course to be leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact," said UC President Neville Pinto. "Becoming a member with an incredible partner like KEEN accelerates this vision and, most importantly, equips our engineering students to take their place as society’s future leaders."
Membership in KEEN enhances UC’s portfolio of opportunities for students and faculty to focus on leadership, innovative thinking and entrepreneurship. With more than 7,000 engineering student engagements at UC's Lindner Center for Entrepreneurship events last year, CEAS students represent more than 60% of all participation in campus-wide extracurricular entrepreneurial activities, such as the Innovation Challenge pitch competition.
UC’s partnership with KEEN is spearheaded by the college's Dean John Weidner and Jason Heikenfeld, an engineering professor.
“Just this year a study found that UC was ranked first nationwide when it comes to the likelihood of an alum producing a startup with at least a billion-dollar valuation," Heikenfeld said. "Entrepreneurial mindset is clearly a part of our UC Bearcat DNA, and just imagine what is possible now that we are intentionally leveraging our strengths like never before through the power of KEEN.”
Alongside UC’s nationally recognized, Top 5-ranked cooperative education (co-op) program, CEAS’ involvement in KEEN further strengthens the hands-on skills and innovative mindset essential for the next generation of engineering leaders. As demand rises for skilled engineers and computer scientists, this partnership amplifies UC’s commitment to experiential learning and equips students with the creativity and adaptability needed to excel in dynamic fields.
Featured image at top: UC's Baldwin Hall. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC
Latest UC News
- It’s a mindset: Meet the visionaries redefining innovation at 1819Innovation is being redefined by enterprising individuals at UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub. Meet the forward thinkers crafting the future of innovation from the heart of Cincinnati.
- UC’s spring Visiting Writers Series promises robust, diverse line-upLovers of literature, poetry and the written word can look forward to a rich series of visiting writer presentations, offered through UC’s College of Arts and Sciences department of English, coming this spring.
- UC students well represented in this year’s Inno Under 25 classEntrepreneurialism runs through the veins of University of Cincinnati students, as confirmed by the school’s strong representation in this year’s Inno Under 25 class.
- UC professor Ephraim Gutmark elected to National Academy of InventorsEphraim Gutmark, distinguished professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati, was elected to the 2024 class of the prestigious National Academy of Inventors.
- UC Law professors recognized for scholarly excellenceUniversity of Cincinnati College of Law professors Stephanie McMahon and Andrew Mamo were recently recognized for their scholarly contributions.
- ADAAPT: Growing Student IdeasSteven Doehler, an industrial design professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), says he prioritizes the entrepreneurial aspect of a student's design product – which led him to create HomeGrown Studio.
