Tech Management MBAs Consult for Real Tech Solutions

When it came down to creating innovative business solutions for sponsors managing emerging technologies, graduate students at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business answered the call.

Over the spring 2024 semester, six teams comprised of students from Cohort 2.0 of the Flex MBA and Graduate Certificate in Technology Management programs banded together to utilize the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the program toward a capstone experience that saw them solve real-world challenges for public and private sector enterprises.

During the projects, the teams collaborated with sponsor representatives and were paired with on and off-campus campus experts. The capstone helps students develop multidisciplinary skills and navigate the implementation or commercialization of technology across organizations and markets.

Through the program’s courses, they also study interdisciplinary techniques to quantify the lifespan value and assess the impact of investments in new technology. An important component was a deep dive into the legal and ethical implications of technology development and adoption.

“My favorite part of this program is when it becomes clear to everyone in the classroom that we’re doing more than studying new tech. We’re helping to advance it. And thanks to our growing community of experiential partners, that’s happening earlier and with a wider impact every year,” says Frank Goertner, director of Smith’s Technology Management Graduate Program and co-instructor of its capstone course.

This year’s student capstone teams presented analysis and recommendations to faculty and program alumni during their final class at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, June 22. Each team then leveraged feedback from the session in final sponsor out-briefs to earn their diploma.

Smith’s Tech Management Capstones this year included:

Critical Tech Protection Investment Modeling for the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security (ARLIS): ARLIS is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funded University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC) hosted by the University of Maryland whose research sits at the intersection of policy, technology and national defense. It enlisted the assistance of Smith School students to help with market research and modeling of private sector tech investor decision methodologies.

Leveraging AI for Equine Financing: Bascule Equine Underwriting is a leading insurer for horse mortality, healthcare, farms, ranches and worker’s compensation. Smith’s student team explored applications for data analytics and AI applications in Bascule’s operations and services.

Tech Strategies for Women’s Health: Emerging technologies are revolutionizing treatment plans and pathways to cure longstanding diseases. A Smith team supported the Global Women’s Action Cancer Group to explore means to expand cost-effective mobile cancer diagnostics for women around the world.

Team leader Mildred Diggs, Flex MBA ’24, enjoyed helping find the relatable narrative in a complex technical and social challenge. “As the consultant, you need to look beyond the surface to understand the desired outcome,” says Diggs.

Commercializing a New Treatment for Extraction-Produced Water: The U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed a supercritical water desalinization and oxidation (SCWDO) technology with the potential to efficiently treat billions of gallons of the foul water produced from oil and gas extraction, with near-zero net energy input. Supported by the Federal Lab Education Accelerator (FLEX) program, Smith School students assessed potential market use cases and commercialization opportunities beyond SCWDO’s current applications.

Finding New Markets for an AI-enabled Face-morphing Recognition Algorithm: Another FLEX project connected a team of Smith technology management students to inventors of an algorithm that detects biometric facial morphing at the U.S. Department of Interior, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). After conducting market analyses and expert interviews, the student team pitched a new strategy to pursue commercial applications and partners for the technology.

“This was a great opportunity to see how government labs, like NIST, inject technology into the commercial landscape,” says team lead Ellen Parkins, Flex MBA ’24. “My full-time job is with the government, and it was interesting to see how products transition to the market.”

Assessing Growth Arenas for UpTahr: As a data analytics company with a unique set of bespoke approaches, UpTahr is a young, successful tech start-up looking to grow. Their work with Smith focused on identifying new partners to accelerate their expansion.

Team lead Nazea Khan, Flex MBA ’24, says that the experience provided “invaluable practical insights into the intersection of technology and business strategy” and reinforced the necessity of adaptability and innovation in addressing evolving industry needs. “I envision leveraging these insights to pursue opportunities where I can contribute to developing and implementing innovative solutions in data-driven industries,” says Khan. “This experience reaffirmed my passion for bridging technological advancements with strategic business objectives, setting a solid foundation for my future career endeavors.”