“I would absolutely recommend this course to other students. It provides a unique opportunity to work on real-world projects and gain valuable experience in a growing and important industry.”

Brandon Gordon, student team member

This unique issue of the newsletter features the University of Michigan (U-M) student team that was one of 19 student teams across the world that was recognized in the 2023 Financial Times Responsible Business Education Competition. The team originated as part of the “Innovation for Impact Climate Change” (formerly known as “TechLab Climate Change”) course taught at the U-M Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE).

The Innovation for Impact course is a Company-in Residence program, for emerging companies making a significant impact on the carbon balance of the planet. The program is an immersive learning experience for students who work side-by-side with the companies on the deployment and market development of their breakthrough innovations. This unique course is co-taught by Dr. Jonathan Fay, Hub Director – NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region, and Dr. Volker Sick, Director of the Global CO2 Initiative. 

Recently, Dr. Sick was also appointed to serve as the Faculty Director of the CFE, an organization that has provided broad and inclusive access to a wide variety of educational opportunities, immersive learning experiences, timely and powerful mentorship, and meaningful connections to global industry leaders since 2007.

The student team consisted of four U-M students from diverse disciplines: Jessica Liang (MBA/MPP), Brandon Gordon (Economics), Annika Dahlmann (Data Science) and Shagun Parekh (Mechanical Engineering). 

The students worked with Brett Henkel, co-founder of carbon capture company Svante, and Dan Miller, Managing Director at the Roda Group, on a market study of carbon capture for blue hydrogen production. Their project findings turned out to have a surprisingly important impact.