KEEN at Missouri S&T

“Our students regularly see great success after graduating, in large part thanks to the experiential, hands-on learning opportunities we provide. Joining KEEN will provide them with even more resources to develop a mindset focused on creativity, curiosity, and value creation. This combination of strong technical skills with the right mindset is how S&T students shape the future.”

- Dr. David Borrok, vice provost and dean of the College of Engineering and Computing  

 

In October 2023, Missouri University of Science and Technology joined the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN).

KEEN works with partner institutions that share a mission to graduate engineers with an entrepreneurial mindset so they can create personal, economic, and societal value through a lifetime of meaningful work. Over 60 colleges and universities are KEEN partners and are working to transform engineering education around this mission.

KEEN fosters collaboration among administration, faculty, and institutions to implement entrepreneurially-minded learning, by using a shared language and a framework. The Network also provides numerous tools and resources to make the adoption of these ideas easy and impactful.

KEEN framework The 3Cs of Entrepreneurial Mindset + Engineering Skillset = Entrepreneurially Minded Learning (EML)

image source: Engineering Unleashed - Framework

The 3Cs of Entrepreneurial Mindset + Engineering Skillset = Entrepreneurially Minded Learning (EML)

 

Why did Missouri S&T decide to join KEEN?

Missouri S&T joined KEEN to add value to the student educational experiences available. This partnership will enhance the support for students to seek out opportunities, and create value in any context. The KEEN partnership also complements several ongoing related initiatives at S&T that are fueled by the university’s Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development. These include student programs such as the Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship doctoral fellows and Kummer Vanguard Scholars program for students seeking bachelor’s degrees.

Upcoming Workshops

KEEN Seed Grants

Applications are being accepted for the KEEN Educational Mini-Grant. The College of Engineering and Computing and the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) are funding this grant.

The educational mini-grant program's purpose is to foster an entrepreneurial mindset (EM) among undergraduate engineering students at Missouri S&T by supporting innovative projects that integrate the KEEN principles of curiosity, connections, and value creation into the curriculum and learning experiences. This seed funding initiative aims to help instructors develop new and/or implement existing entrepreneurial mindset (EM) modules into course curricula and learning outcomes.

All full-time faculty and staff with teaching duties related to undergraduate engineering students in all colleges and disciplines are eligible to apply. For a full description and requirements of the mini-grant please view this document - KEEN Educational mini-grant information.

Applications are due by May 1st and the winners will be announced May 15th.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sarah Lewis at sarahlewis@mst.edu. 

Please email application materials to keenmst@mst.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Entrepreneurial Mindset or (EM) defines a set of attitudes, dispositions, habits, and behaviors. This shapes a unique approach to problem-solving, innovation, and creating value. This EM amplifies the technical skills that engineers already have. Put into action it provides the student with the framework to recognize and identify opportunities, focus their impact, and create value in any context. The goal of this approach is to cultivate the ability to solve societal problems and create an environment for humans to flourish.

The entrepreneurial mindset consists of three key elements: Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value.

The KEEN EML (entrepreneurial mindset learning) combines the three key elements: Curiosity, Connection, and Creating value with an engineering skillset of adding opportunity and impact to design to produce the KEEN framework.

This KEEN framework provides specific educational outcomes to develop students’ impact skills

For more detailed information on the KEEN framework download the booklet The KEEN Framework, A Guide For Entrepreneurial Mindset, or visit the KEEN Framework webpage.

No, KEEN membership is available to all faculty regardless of discipline. It provides activity cards or learning activities for many disciplines both engineering and non-engineering.

The KEEN educational Card Dashboard, allows you to search by title, topic, category, institution, discipline, and more.

An Engineering Unleashed "card" is an online template for faculty and staff to publish activities, labs, and classes focused on integrating EM.

When you become an Engineering Unleashed member you have access to the full library of content. This content provides syllabi, instructor tips, student artifacts, presentations, and strategies to adapt their content to your context. You'll also find book club ideas, ideas for embedding EM on your campus, conference presentations, and more. 

And as an Engineering Unleashed member, you can publish your own cards to share resources with others.

The main KEEN webpage is located at engineeringunleashed.com, this page is your guide to all things related to KEEN, Engineering Unleashed, the Entrepreneurial Mindset or (EM), Cards, and Faculty Development.

Direct access to the KEEN cards can be found on the Engineering Unleashed Card Dashboard.

KEEN and Engineering Unleased provide a catalog of training for faculty employing national workshops, in-person individual or group training, and on-demand courses.

To investigate, access, or sign up for all KEEN faculty training opportunities visit the KEEN Faculty Development Opportunities webpage.

A great place to start is with the An Introduction to Entrepreneurial Mindset & the 3Cs course. This course introduces the elements of EM, the 3C's - Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value. Within this course, you'll have a roadmap into the definitions, terms, and ideas related to EM.

Questions Regarding Membership

To become a member of Engineering Unleashed, simply go to the Engineering Unleashed home page, click Login, and then select JOIN under the Not Registered section of the page. OR, head straight to the Engineering Unleashed Registration page.

No, but as with any organization, membership has its privileges. While non-KEEN members can access some valuable information, you will need to create a KEEN membership to access all information.

KEEN membership gives you unlimited access to activities, lesson plans, student artifacts, webinars, and more from engineering faculty, staff, and administrators across the nation. 

You'll also be able to:

The Engineering Unleashed community is open to anyone trying to impact engineering education. While our focus is primarily on undergraduate engineering faculty, we welcome members of industry, K12, and other groups who are part of the engineering ecosystem.

The only exception is students, who are not permitted to join the community. Students are not permitted to be members of Engineering Unleashed. This allows faculty and staff to have an open community where they can share resources and ideas that students can benefit from without fear that they are tipping answers or opening the door for cheating.

There is no cost to be an Engineering Unleashed member.

KEEN Leaders on Campus

Coming Soon! Join us and this could be you.