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The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit group photo

Ag projects shine at campus entrepreneurship summit

(May 1, 2023) -- Jordan College faculty Dr. Erin Stafford Dormedy and Dr. Srinivasa Konduru helped plan the first annual Fresno State Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit that was successfully hosted on April 27 at the University Business Center.

The event, which welcomed over 100 faculty, staff, students and industry supporters, was organized by faculty and staff from the campus Agriculture, Business, and Engineering Academy (ABE) to create new opportunities for students to learn about entrepreneurship, economic development and societal impact.

Students shared their innovative ideas and products at two sessions at the event - a poster presentation and 10-minute pitch event that included industry professionals as judges.

Fresno State agricultural business senior Macy Myers won both of the student competitions for her Jordan College Honors Cohort feasibility research project studying a small wind energy machine prototype that could be used in orchards to power irrigation pumping.

Faculty from across campus competed in a similar, 'lightning' event pitch that included a five-minute presentation, followed by a two-minute portion for questions, and included Dr. Lizhu Davis (Department of Marketing and Logistics), Dr. Emil Milevoj (Director of the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship) and Dr. Fernando Parra (Director of the Institute for Family Business).

An additional high school portion featured students making pitch presentations, and those winners included

  • Campus Visitour presented by Team Across the Globe, 1st
  • Find presented by Team Veniro, 2nd
  • Reverse Recipe presented by Team Lemonett, 3rd
  • Apollo Portal presented by Harpocrates Date, 4th
  • My Moving Menu presented by Team Bite Size, 4th

Additional planners for the event included faculty Betsy Hays (College of Arts and Humanities), Dr. Andres Jauregui (Craig School of Business), Dr. The Nguyen (Lyles College of Engineering), Michele Randel (architectural studies) and Dr. Vartuhi Tonoyan (Craig School of Business).