- Paula Fischhaber, Northridge
- Ryan Holbrook, Northridge
- Joanne Scillitoe, Northridge

At CSU Northridge, we carried out a collaborative project teaming Biochemistry B.S. majors from Biochemistry II (CHEM 462) with a diverse group of Business majors from Strategic Management Capstone (BUS 497a) to work together across disciplines on a multi-week, capstone project to develop biotechnology-based ideas for commercialization. In advance of the semester, the professors and Bull Ring director met to co-design the project outcomes and how it was to be embedded in each course syllabus. This included comparable course weight for the project, prescheduled faculty meetings and outcome dates, and team contract design.

Once the semester started, the Biochemistry students initially envisioned a project idea they were interested in pursuing. These ideas involved an eclectic assortment of technological/scientific ideas such as STEM Educational Kits, Vegan Wine Fining, Insulin Pill Formulation, Glucose Blood Testing Device, Wet Suits, and Energy Generation via Solar and Waste. Then, business students self-selected their top choices of projects on which to work. Each interdisciplinary team comprising approximately six students each (3 CHEM 462 students and ~3 BUS 497a students). Once formed, the teams were required to develop and submit an application for the CSUN Bull Ring New Venture Competition (CSUN’s “Shark Tank”) which involved a slide deck and short video submission. Through the project development process teams were guided through preliminary idea development and commercialization potential and the signing of a team contracts via individual team meetings with both course instructors. Following the Bull Ring competition application submission, each group of students had additional discipline-specific project requirements in their home courses including a strategic analysis of a large firm in the same or similar industry as the project (BUS 497a) and scientific presentations (CHEM 462).

This class project will have provided all the students with a valuable entrepreneurial experience which, for the Biochemistry B.S. students, may represent their only such experience during their entire degree. Student learning outcomes from this joint project are expected to include an improved ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary team, improved oral and written communication skills, time-management, organizational and other “soft skills” as well as greater confidence and increased identity as either a business person or a scientist. This skill and confidence development would be expected to translate into students more successfully transitioning into a “real world” working environment following graduation with greater confidence in the ability to conceive of, and pursue, a business or science venture of one’s own choosing.

Data from the joint project, including placement in the Bull Ring competition, will be shown as well as an assessment of whether the anticipated gains were realized.