Wednesday, March 12, 2025
DENTON (UNT), Texas — A new course at the University of North Texas is giving graduate students the tools to turn their research into viable startups.
STEM Startups, designed for students in the College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Information, and G. Brint Ryan College of Business, helps teams develop business plans and create real products.
“My research tends to stay within my own academic bubble,” said information science graduate student Ian Abeyta. “This course has connected me with others who can help turn that research into something practical and impactful beyond academics.”
University of North Texas professor Neal Smatresk
Created by professor Neal Smatresk, the course emphasizes collaboration between innovators and entrepreneurs.
“Research universities like UNT have a responsibility to turn discoveries into innovation that benefit the public,” Smatresk said.
From the first month, students form teams and begin working on products. This semester, projects include an app for freshwater shrimp farms, a blockchain-based system for insurance and a body movement tracker designed to prevent injuries.
For team STRIDE, injury prevention is personal. Data science graduate student and active-duty U.S. Army Major Mike Chastain sees their movement-tracking system as a way to help soldiers avoid injuries.
“A big problem for the military is new soldiers getting hurt, and that percentage keeps increasing,” Chastain said. “We need every technique we can to figure out how they're getting injured. STRIDE has the potential to be a training tool that helps new recruits stay safe and avoid injuries.”
The course also connects students with industry leaders and venture capitalists, including PCDworks, a technology development company founded by Mike (’70, ’72 M.S.) and Donna Rainone.
“We’re constantly looking to create more partnerships in innovative technology,” said PCDworks President Donna Rainone. “The students in this class are driven, smart and full of good ideas.”
A presentation in the UNT STEM Startups class
The spring course meets weekly and is the first of its kind at UNT. Plans are already underway to broaden its offerings. While currently limited to graduate students, the course may also be extended to upper-level undergraduates with extensive research experience.
“The STEM Startups course is a first step in developing entrepreneurship across the UNT ecosystem,” said Marcus Wolfe, academic director of the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “Students will build a dynamic, entrepreneurial mindset essential for innovation and leadership in any field.”
For Smatresk, the course is about more than launching startups — it’s a key part of shaping UNT’s approach to innovation.
“I’ve always wanted to help transition the creativity, discovery and innovation from this campus into the public domain,” Smatresk said. “I consider this a personal mission and this course is a step in becoming a more entrepreneurial university.”
From UNT News – Research