At the intersection of 33rd and Walnut streets lies a center of technological, experimental and scientific thought that functions unlike any other center at Penn.
The Weiss Tech House occupies this prime location where it opened this past October due to a $1.5 million gift from Wharton alumnus and University Trustee George Weiss.
The center "was created to excite students around technology and innovation," said Anne Stamer, director of the WTH.
Indicative of the center's popularity, the WTH listserv has almost 350 students from across campus.
One of the most successful programs at WTH is the Innovation Fund, "a student-run committee much like a mini-venture capital group," Stamer said.
The IF "funds projects that bring about a social good or aid the Penn community in a specific way," Management and Technology sophomore Vijay Narasiman added.
With the help of committee members, student projects are reviewed and accepted by the house. Those projects which are accepted "receive space, personal mentoring and up to $1,000 in funding," according to Fund Director and Management and Technology senior Daven Johnson.
Since its initial stages, "the house has made quite a name for itself on campus, and the number of applicants has steadily grown since the outset," Narasiman said.
To date, 18 projects have been funded and the center plans to fund more this semester.
These projects "will be complemented by lectures and exercises dealing with the patent process," Stamer said.
Yet in order for students to ultimately understand the patent process, it takes a lot of brainstorming and hard work along with assistance from the WTH's on-site mentors.
Javier Garcia and Richard Yeh, both second-year MBA students -- as well as Danielle Rosenthal, a second-year Law student -- provide mentoring services to those accepted by the Innovation Fund.
Working with the Philadelphia community through the activities of the house's Projects Committee is another goal of the center.
In the past semester, "middle school students came to the house and we instructed them on writing documents using [Microsoft] Word. [Also] a science course [was] developed during the summer for middle school students," Johnson said.
Overseeing everything from community involvement to lab work, a 45-member student committee system runs the daily workings of the center.
Yet, those who work at WTH encourage all levels of participation.
"A student doesn't have to be on a committee to get involved. ... They can use the Tech House's resources: free printing, free coffee, computers, [a] plasma TV and just contribute to the innovative spirit of the house," said Dwaune Dupree, Wharton senior and co-student director of the WTH.
Relishing these perks, members of the WTH also like to have fun.
"We've had 'Wild Weiss Wednesdays' -- informational meetings of various technologies, XBox competitions and [even] a hosted screening of the Matrix I and II," Johnson said.
