More than 70 Qatar University (QU) students, faculty and researchers attended a seminar on Sunday, entitled ‘Follow your passion, Lead the future – The story of OpenROV,’ an innovative underwater robot for exploration and education.
The event was a joint effort of the Centre for Entrepreneurship (CFE) at QU’s College of Business and Economics (CBE) and Research Office, and the US Embassy in Doha.
It aimed to engage participants on how innovative ideas can be transformed into a business.
The seminar was conducted by OpenRov CEO and founder Eric Stackpole. A mechanical engineer and a NASA-trained robotics entrepreneur, he channelled his interest in science and space technology into a number of innovative projects. He built his first telepresence robot as an undergraduate at Santa Clara University and founded its CubeSat group, and later went on to build nanosatellites at NASA.
Stackpole’s presentation included a demonstration of the workings of the OpenROV, and a discussion on his experience as an innovator and entrepreneur in which he also explained the process of developing an idea into an enterprise.
CBE dean Dr Nitham Hindi shed light on the college’s efforts to develop entrepreneurial education, culture and research.
This includes the introduction of a minor in entrepreneurship for undergraduates, and an MBA concentration in entrepreneurship for graduate students.
He said: “In establishing the Centre for Entrepreneurship in Fall 2013, we aim to support diverse entrepreneurial activities within QU and collaborate with peer institutions in Qatar and beyond to stimulate entrepreneurial research.”
CFE director Dr Mahmoud Abdellatif outlined the centre’s mission to support entrepreneurship at QU and the wider community, and its ongoing work to link academic life with business reality through training, incubation, research and consultation.
