Bethel Students Participate in Mayo Innovation Scholars Program
April 15, 2016 | Noon
By Lauren Pareigat ’08, Communications Specialist for College of Arts & Sciences
Bethel Biokinetics Program Director Seth Paradis, Aeli Olson ’16, Madison Dorn ’16, Matthew Engelien ’16, Mara Raymond ’16, alumna Ally Freed ’12, and University of St. Thomas Professor Steve Vuolo.
Bethel undergraduate students from three academic areas have worked together on a research project that culminated with the team presenting their six months of research to business professionals and medical researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in March.
Business majors Matthew Engelien ’16 and Mara Raymond ’16, along with biokinetics student Madison Dorn ’16, and physics (B.S.) and biochemistry and molecular biology double major Aeli Olson ’16 recently participated in the Mayo Innovation Scholars Program (MISP) in collaboration with professionals from the Mayo Clinic. The students were coached by Bethel alumna and University of St. Thomas MBA student Ally (Huffman) Freed ’12 and advised by biokinetics program director Seth Paradis, business professors Joyce LeMay and MaryAnn Harris, and University of St. Thomas business professor Steve Vuolo.
This was Bethel’s first year participating in MISP. The program places students from a variety of disciplines at the intersection of innovations in science, medicine, and the fields of intellectual property, marketing, and business development. Bethel students were given the unique opportunity to work directly with professionals from the Mayo Clinic, including Bruce Kline from Mayo Clinic Ventures and Orthopedic surgeon, John Sperling.
“I am proud of the quality of work our Bethel students brought to our new partnership with the MISP,” says Paradis. “The experience working with a cross-disciplined team, led by an MBA student, and working on a real research project from Mayo is an experience they will never forget and will open doors they don’t even know exist.”
The Mayo Innovation Scholars Program, designed in 2006 by retired Medtronic executive John Meslow, offers an exciting opportunity for selected graduate students and undergraduate science and business students to research projects submitted by Mayo Clinic professionals through several Mayo Clinic departments including Mayo Clinic Ventures, the Center for Innovation, the Department of Surgery, and the Division of Engineering. The program is a collaborative effort between the Minnesota Private College Council and Mayo Clinic Ventures.