7.
City Council Work Session
- Meeting Date:
- 01/28/2025
- From:
- Jeff McCormick, Economic Development Manager
- Department:
- Economic Vitality
Co-Submitter:
TITLE:
Presentation from Northern Arizona University School of Mechanical Engineering
DESIRED OUTCOME:
Council will hear a presentation about projects being developed by graduate students from the School of Mechanical Engineering. The projects demonstrate the wealth of local resources and the work at NAU that potentially could result in entrepreneurship and opportunities for business development and growth in local employment in the science and technology sectors.
Executive Summary:
Graduate students at the School of Mechanical Engineering, under the guidance of Dr. Michael Shafer, have developed cutting-edge technological projects that could affect the quality of life for people. These presentations are intended to illustrate high-quality science and technology programs that have the potential for enhanced workforce development, technological production, and entrepreneurial creativity in our local market.
Information:
A monthly business and economic development event called Gravity Lab focuses on technological businesses in the community. At a recent Gravity Lab, NAU College of Engineering graduate students presented details of their projects, and students from the School of Mechanical Engineering presented design concepts that were highly impressive. Some project designs could enhance the quality of life for medical patients, conserve water and natural resources, manage wildfires or flooding, or reduce energy consumption.
Similar innovations regularly materialize at NAU, and providing students with opportunities to showcase their project designs is indicative of the high-quality instruction and mentoring that transpires at NAU, here in our own backyard. Their local innovations have a probability of creating businesses, employment opportunities, and influxes of local public revenues. Some students may choose to grow their business at our Moonshot Business Incubator.
Council and City Staff could likely be as impressed as Economic Development Staff who attend the Gravity Labs. Such local discoveries demonstrate the potential of entrepreneurship in our community and the reason why we have a strong science and technology economy here in Flagstaff. Showcasing such local discoveries, and providing support for their growth here in Flagstaff, could result in external financial investments that help grow the local economy and could also help create renewed housing development.
Similar innovations regularly materialize at NAU, and providing students with opportunities to showcase their project designs is indicative of the high-quality instruction and mentoring that transpires at NAU, here in our own backyard. Their local innovations have a probability of creating businesses, employment opportunities, and influxes of local public revenues. Some students may choose to grow their business at our Moonshot Business Incubator.
Council and City Staff could likely be as impressed as Economic Development Staff who attend the Gravity Labs. Such local discoveries demonstrate the potential of entrepreneurship in our community and the reason why we have a strong science and technology economy here in Flagstaff. Showcasing such local discoveries, and providing support for their growth here in Flagstaff, could result in external financial investments that help grow the local economy and could also help create renewed housing development.