University of Evansville Student Justin Jackman of Sumner Wins Innovative Problem Solving Competition

2012 Oct 31

The University of Evansville is proud to announce that Justin Jackman of Sumner, IL, was a member of the UE team that won first place in the Innovation Encounter competition, which took place October 19-20 at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan.

Jackman, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, was one of five UE students on the interdisciplinary team that competed in Innovation Encounter, a team competition for inventive problem solving. Teams were tasked with creating a product for a real-world company, Masco Corporation, to introduce into a specific market sector. (To protect the company's intellectual property, participants may not divulge details about the products.)

Jerrilee LaMar, UE assistant professor of nursing, and Rick Deer, director of the UE Center for Intensive Experiential Education, coached the UE team. Other universities that fielded teams were Gonzaga University, Kettering University, Lawrence Technological University, Ohio Northern University, Saint Louis University, and Villanova University.

"The combined capabilities and talents of students such as Justin Jackman led to a significant competitive advantage in the LTU competition," said Deer. "It was a great pleasure to watch a team perform at this level all within a 48-hour period. This could never happen without the rich and broad-based education provided by UE."

UE student participation was made possible through the support of the Kern Family Foundation and the UE Center for Intensive Experiential Education, the mission of which is to bring together faculty and students from all disciplines and to immerse these multi-disciplinary teams into professional-grade projects and events.