Brockport graduate completes
entrepreneur course at Clarkson

Michael C. O'Laughlin, a 2003 graduate of Brockport High School, was one of 84 freshmen in Clarkson University's innovative interdisciplinary engineering and management (E&M) degree program.

The program required students to complete a year-long project in technical entrepreneurship as part of their two-semester operations management and information systems course. The project involved designing, developing and building scale prototypes of dormitory furniture, performing a market analysis and patent research, developing financial forecasts and market strategy and formulating a business plan. The students delivered presentations to a panel of investors that included local business people and bank representatives. The goal of the presentations was to secure funding for additional research and testing of the product.

"I learned more in this one class than I could ever have imagined, including business principles, engineering principles and time and problem management," said O'Laughlin. "I also learned the importance of knowing how to speak both business and engineering 'languages' in the world of technological innovation."

This summer, O'Laughlin is completing an internship at Microwave Data Systems in Brighton before returning to Clarkson to begin his sophomore year. He is the son of Dr. Michael C. and Mrs. Linda O'Laughlin of Brockport.