Seidenberg students head to Finland for 6th Product Development Project

During the fall semester, six students headed to Helsinki, Finland, for Pace’s 6th year of participation in Product Development Project (PDP). The Finnish destination was the Aalto Design Factory, located at Aalto University.

This was a special trip as it came shortly after Pace University opened our very own Design Factory, the NYC Design Factory located here at Seidenberg School.

ava-posnerOnce they had arrived at the Aalto Design Factory, it was time to get started. Attendees met teammates and participated in PD6 – product development in 6 hours. Everyone was then split into two teams: KONE, an established elevator company, and Seecode, a tech startup.

We chatted with students on each team. Representing KONE was Mansoor Baba Shaik (MS Information Systems). Ava Posner (BS Information Technology) was on the Seecode team. Ava was also busy snapchatting the trip for a Snapchap takeover of the Pace University account.

Each team not only consisfinland-3ted of diverse members but was filled with different levels of expertise based on each member’s background. This worked well because the teams were able to work more efficiently in order to make it a collaborative process.

For the first few days/nights, the team members spent most of their time bonding and getting to know one another. Besides working hard, the students were allowed to explore and experience what it was like to live in Finland. mansoor-baba-shaikOn the following days it was time to get down to work!

The KONE team visited KONE headquarters, where each member of the team had the chance to use the mobile operated elevator which is being tested on and which will become the first mobile operated elevator in the world.

The Seecode team also visited the umbrella company NOMO 3D headquarters.

Teams were assigned tasks to be completed during sprints of PD6, utilizing design thinking methodologies.

finland-2For Seecode, the team was to build a prototype that would be used to scan individual body images in order to help design custom made outfits for buyers throughout the world. The aim is to make online clothes shopping a less uncertain experience: who hasn’t bought their size online only to find it doesn’t fit?

Team KONE had to come up with a product allowing a self controlled drone to deliver packages to customers directly via the building’s elevator. The idea is that a delivery company could program a drone operate an elevator so it can deliver packages to the correct person directly. I shouldn’t come as a surprise that Amazon is involved in this project.

As PDP is a two-part project, students will return to Helsinki for part two in May, 2017. In the meantime, both teams, being spread apart throughout the world, must remain in constant contact to finish their projects before the final presentation.

finland-7“We are excited to be a part of this amazing project and willing to put our 100% effort to achieve the final outcome of the project and present it in the gala”, said Mansoor. “We thank Pace University for selecting us for the Product Development Project and we feel it’s a great honor representing Pace University in a global event.”

 

 

 

First Week Back to School

We are officially into the Fall 2013 semester of class. This post is to recap all the things that are going on around NYC and Pace for you to enjoy before classes get serious.
First off, it’s Broadway Week for anyone interested in seeing some excellent performances. Broadway Week means all shows are doing a 2 for 1 ticket deal, but it only lasts until the end of the week! Seats are disappearing fast, so grab some before they’re gone!

From left to right, Dr. Richard Kline, Dr. Christelle Scharff, Kalevi Ekman, Dean Amar Gupta, Dr. Jonathan Hill, and professor Bryn Haffey all stand together, prepared for Fall 2013.

Quick note on classes that you may have been to that you’re already dreading. Our advice: drop them and substitute another. You have a few weeks to do this without penalty or before you miss too many hours of the class you may switch into. If you don’t like a professor or the syllabus makes the upcoming weeks seem dreary abort the mission. It’s not worth your time and effort to suffer through terrible classes and there are enough options available for you to switch without mussing your schedule. College is meant to be flexible and enjoyable. Some classes you will eventually have suffer through, but at least ease your pain by waiting until a decent professor comes along.

In Seidenberg news, the Finns have struck again. If you haven’t met our partners from Aalto University (including Peter Tapio who was here during the Summer Scholars Experience), they’ve been around for the last few days and leave this evening, unfortunately. They will be back eventually, so catch them while they are around. They are all a wonderful resource available to learn about project development in many fields.

The aforementioned workshop with Kalevi Ekman was a delightful afternoon. Photos from the event and a video that showcases Kalevi’s lessons on design will be available for viewing on Thursday. He himself is another one of our Finnish partners, also a head professor for the PDP (Product Development Project) program that Seidenberg takes part in. This program is an incredible opportunity for students and also gives students involved the chance to visit Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland.

Lastly, don’t forget that Computing Society meets on Wednesdays and there will be free pizza, just so ya’ know.

 

Helsinki Again! Seidenberg School Launches Year Two of the Product Design Project Research Initiative

Extending last year’s acclaimed partnership with Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, the Seidenberg School is collaborating for a second year in the Product Design Project (PDP) Based at Aalto University, PDP brings together students from more than a dozen universities around the globe to develop real products for companies including Ericsson, UNICEF, ABB and ExerBlast who are searching for innovative cooperation with the next generation of IT experts. At the start, much attention is directed to the formation of highly motivated interdisciplinary teams.

Extending last year’s acclaimed partnership with Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, the Seidenberg School is collaborating for a second year in the Product Design Project (PDP) Based at Aalto University, PDP brings together students from more than a dozen universities around the globe to develop real products for companies including Ericsson, UNICEF, ABB and ExerBlast who are searching for innovative cooperation with the next generation of IT experts. At the start, much attention is directed to the formation of highly motivated interdisciplinary teams. A project typically includes all phases of planning, requirements gathering, the creative process, software design, usability and marketing.

Led by Associate Dean Jonathan Hill and Program Manager Wilfredo Pena, Seidenberg Students Drew Cimino (CS ’13), Prachaya Sinsuwan (MS CS ’14), Julie Gauthier (CS ‘15), Michael Cornell (CS ’15), Bryn Haffey (MS CS ’14) and Keith McPherson (CS ’13) were joined by Lubin student Shervin Browne (MBA ’14) and Dyson Communications major Jessie Mishavsky (BA ’13)

Utilizing lessons learned from the concept of distributed teams, the project goes through the phases of  requirements gathering, product design, manufacture, assembly, and testing to create a unique and valuable learning experience. As the sun rises in Australia, students at Swinburne University in Melbourne begin iteration of their specified part of the project, as the day continues at Tianjin University in Shanghai, students continue the process and pass the results to the next stop, the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur. The project is then picked up and further developed by students at Aalto University and as the sun moves from Helsinki to New York, Pace University students contribute their day’s work and then conclude their day by passing the baton back to their Australian colleagues. Team meetings are held weekly, via Skype, where students learn to negotiate differences in time, culture and project flow. After a full academic year of designing, coding and building, the international teams gather for a final ‘gala’ presentation in Helsinki where the students celebrate their accomplishments.

“This is truly one of the best educational experiences that I can imagine” said Jonathan Hill. “The students work as a distributed team on a very complex, but ultimately deeply satisfying projects with other top students from around the world. The experiences they have replicate what they will be asked to do as professional developers: ask questions, solve problems, create, get feedback, react to their clients changing needs and learn to negotiate time zones, different cultures and different learning styles”.

“I love my team” said Julie Gauthier, a sophomore computer science major from Connecticut. “I am the developer among mechanical and electrical engineers, designers, and MBA’s. They have been so welcoming and so helpful and I can’t wait to see what we build”.

This year’s collaboration includes the addition of a New York City based start-up which will bring four Aalto students to Pace for a week of on-site research, activities and workshops that support co-creation. Pace University and Exerblast, a digitally enhanced youth exercise and gaming concept, are working together to build new interactive experiences on their website and play space located in Tribeca.   This project will give the students an opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary ideas at the cross point of computer science, engineering production and communications.  Besides working on the project it will also be an opportunity to reciprocate the hospitality they’ve received during their visit to Aalto.  Our visitors will arrive in time to attend a New York Tech Meetup (NYTM) monthly gathering among other events that showcase the thriving tech scene in New York.

If you would like to participate in helping us make this a great experience for our Aalto U guests, stay tuned for information on their arrival.

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