Gifts to MEMS will be used to support..
The SSOE Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program!
Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science Fund
Alumni and friends,
We would like to express our sincere appreciation for supporting the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science on Pitt Day of Giving (PDoG) 2025! Your gift will allow us to allocate resources to the SSOE Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program.
The Swanson School of Engineering hosts a robust Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) program that has reached thousands of students by providing classroom and experiential learning opportunities to be creative, to think entrepreneurially, and to understand the process of developing and launching ideas that can be impactful in society.
The program is carried out through an integration of physical spaces, people, and programming that enable students to chart their own Innovation & Entrepreneurship journey, from just doing hands-on projects in the Makerspace to being a paid intern helping to commercialize Pitt technology, and many experiences in between.
The most amazing aspect of our I&E program is the thriving community of enthusiastic students and future innovators that has grown organically in the Swanson School. We hope that you will help us continue to grow our ecosystem and create more opportunities for our students.
Thank you so much for your support.
Hail to Pitt!
Why are donations necessary?
Some of the resources provided in the I&E program include the Pitt Makerspace that is managed by over 50 student volunteers to enable members to gain hands-on experience in design and fabrication. In addition to the wide range of well-maintained equipment and useful training provided in the spaces, students create and host many events like workshops that teach members new and interesting skills to supplement classroom learning with hands on experience, competitions that promote creativity and entrepreneurship, and a “Startup Stories” speaker series through which alumni share their entrepreneurial experiences. For students who wish to venture further, the IDEA Lab provides opportunities for about 50 volunteers and 15 paid interns each year to participate in design and development of novel technologies coming out of Pitt labs and partner industries by working alongside our staff and faculty to create prototypes that meet commercialization milestones. Finally, we offer an academic certificate in Innovation, Product Design, and Entrepreneurship that includes a wide range of courses that enable students identify needs and develop desirable, feasible, and viable solutions, whether in companies, the public sector, or in their own startups.