New Tech House to serve as project hub

A rollerblading robot whizzes across the room as a student crunches away at a computer, designing a program for an academic department.

Nearby, students work as a team to develop a curriculum for an after-school science and technology club at a West Philadelphia public school.

Until recently, projects like these could have taken place anywhere across campus from dorm rooms to laboratories to libraries.

But starting next month, innovative, technology-related projects will have a home on campus: the Weiss Tech House.

Scheduled to move into its Graduate Research Wing Building location at 3350 Walnut Street in April and to become "fully functional" by next September, the Tech House will provide space, funding and support for techies with a vision, according to Director Anne Stamer.

"This mission of the Tech House is to really encourage, excite and support students in the creation, development and/or commercialization of innovative technologies," Stamer said. "And that's why we are looking at such a diverse group of projects that have already applied."

After months of planning on the part of students, faculty and staff from different departments, initial preparations are underway for the projects that will be based at the house starting this summer.

Applications are currently being accepted for two of the opportunities the Tech House will offer: summer internships and funding and space for projects.

Approximately 40 students have applied for the 10 available summer internship spots. The selected students will work on Tech House projects, which are based on "non-student ideas that benefit the community," like an after-school science program at the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander-University of Pennsylvania Partnership School, Stamer said.

In addition, 12 teams of one to four students have applied for support from the Innovation Fund, which provides workspace and funding for students who have ideas about a project on which they want to work.

Ideas have ranged from product-based concepts to software and robotics projects.

Dwaune Dupree, a Wharton junior who is part of the Innovation Fund and Marketing committees of the Student Management Team at the Tech House, said that he and the other students working on the projects have been more than satisfied by the high number of applicants and the student response to the Tech House in general.

"I think it's been kind of overwhelming," Dupree said. "When we were setting it up, we didn't think we were going to get as good a response as we've gotten."

While he and other students expected one or two applications to be turned in every few weeks, Dupree said that three applications were turned in to the Innovation Fund committee the first week they were available.

"For us, that was really eye-opening," he said, but he added that he was not completely surprised because of the funding that the Tech House offers, which is initially limited to $1,000.

Frederik Heger, an Engineering junior, jumped at the opportunity to get help bringing his idea for a rollerblading robot from dream to reality.

After hearing about the Tech House from friends who were involved in planning it, he decided to apply and received word late last week that his proposal had been approved.

"I am going to get a good bit of publicity out of it," Heger said. "I am going to get space and funding, which is always a good thing to have."

Though he is currently working on the robot for his senior design project requirement, Heger is planning to continue working on it for his master's thesis.

With such grand plans, he is glad to have a helping hand from the Tech House.

"I probably would have found a way to do it anyway, but the Tech House is making it easier," Heger said.

He added that the Tech House itself is an important addition to Penn's campus.

"I think it's just a good place where projects like that can be funded and get space and get publicity so that people know what's going on around campus in terms of research and innovative projects."

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