Thanks to the new student organization EMpwr, students, especially engineering majors, now have the opportunity to advance their entrepreneurial interests. The goal of EMpwr is to promote and communicate the concept of empowerment in regards to entrepreneurship. Co-founded by Annmarie Mullen ’17, Jared Feindt ’16, and Daniel Dudt ’17, and in partnership with the Kern Family Foundation and the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), the organization will promote entrepreneurship at the University through competitions, leadership, mentorship, and service. The University is no stranger to working with KEEN; other programs on campus include the KEEN Winter Interdisciplinary Design Experience (K-WIDE), the Bucknell Fabrication Workshop (B-FAB), KEEN IDEAS Studio courses, and KEEN IDEAS Trans-disciplinary senior design projects.

While the organization is based out of the College of Engineering, it is open to all University students, regardless of major.

EMpwr has already been successful in its efforts to promote entrepreneurship. The organization has helped with “Student Startups on Screen” at the Campus Theatre and TEDxBucknellUniversity, which will take place in April. Future endeavors also include design challenges, vinyl cutting to create branding tools, site visits to graduate schools, and networking in the local community.

“It is all about teaching students to take control of their education, whether it’s through learning new skills they feel like they are missing out on or applying the ones they have learned in new ways. In order to do this, all events are to be picked and run by students,” Mullen said.

Keith Buffinton, Dean of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering, is the organization’s faculty advisor.

“We hope that EMpwr will expand opportunities for entrepreneurially minded activities on and around campus. The club has already surveyed students about their entrepreneurial interests, as well as connected with our Career Development Center, our Small Business Development Center, our KEEN University Innovation Fellows, and the organizers of KEEN Design Competitions to assist, contribute, and promote their entrepreneurially minded activities. EMpwr is looking forward to future opportunities to further expand entrepreneurially minded activities for Bucknell students,” Buffinton said.