One Busy Summer: Venture Capital and Educational Data Analysis

By Morgan Doggett

This summer has been so much fun! As an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the Universty of Illinois I-STEM and Undergraduate Assistant at IllinoisVENTURES, I've been able to utilize well-honed skills while developing much unique technical expertise throughout the summer. As a student within the Agriculture Leadership Education program at the University of Illinois, I greatly enjoy the people-centered aspect of our education. But this summer I had the opportunity to combine the focus of human capital development with a more technology-centered focus. Personally, I like to joke that this has been my "Techy" summer, where I've learned how to use, apply, and creatively integrate many data processing programs including IBM SPSS software, Survey Monkey,  and utilize Microsoft Excel like you would not believe. Each internship position has been so much fun!

University of Illinois I-STEM

The University of Illinois I-STEM is a fantastic educational component and internship experience opportunity for Agriculture Leadership Education students. The I-STEM Education Initiative is a campus coalition led by the University of Illinois Office of the Provost that works with internal and external partners to evaluate STEM education programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). I-STEM activities include creating and facilitating initiatives and events (Makergirl), promoting the development of training and outreach programs, and to help develop policies in Illinois, and nationally that promote STEM education.

This summer I was assigned to work on teams led by University of Illinois Ph.D. candidates, graduate students, and visiting faculty in projects centered on the Blue Waters Super Computer, Chicago Public Schools STEM Research and Development Program, IOLAB Physics software, and many others. Tasks include transcribing audio, analyzing statistical information, organizing research into presentation formatting, working with other undergraduates on survey creation and analysis, and much more. It is the definition of needs assessment programming, and I loved it! With I-STEM data analysis I am directly able to contribute to the data reporting of current STEM programming and data that will be used for creating and amending programming for the future. It's such a neat experience to be able to assist prospective learners through data analysis of current STEM programs and software that are on the horizon.

IllinoisVENTURES, LLC.

IllinoisVENTURES is a premier venture capital firm poised within the University of Illinois. IllinoisVENTURES was formally launched in 2002 to catalyze the creation and development of research-derived companies developed from the University of Illinois. Actively supporting entrepreneurship throughout the state of Illinois, working at IllinoisVENTURES has been a fantastic working and educational learning experience. Throughout my time with the organization, I have been able to contribute to their long-standing success through economic development data analysis and administrative support.

As a student assistant with IllinoisVENTURES,  I have the opportunity to learn first hand from highly regarded venture capitalists and investors through hands-on experience. My favorite part of working at the venture firm is the atmosphere and location of our office. Located in the heart of the University of Illinois Research Park in the Enterprise Works Building, the office is situated just North of the John Deere building. The Enterprise Works building is the primarily open concept with a wide variety of conference rooms, office areas, and open workspaces. Designers, technology coders, and undergraduate interns roam freely throughout the building work areas in pursuit creating the next big technology innovation. Upbeat background music plays throughout the building over the roar of the Olympics film broadcast on the giant screen in the atrium below. The atmosphere of the building facilitates and promotes the strong work ethic and teamwork of the technological environment.

Throughout the summer I have had a wide variety of experiences ranging from meeting and submitting a final report to the developer of a product I helped analyze at I-STEM to finding Tiesta Tea, an IllinoisVENTURES portfolio company, at the local Dierbergs grocery store while on vacation. Each day I have gotten to utilize skill sets I honed through the agriculture leadership education program. Through courses including needs assessment development and training with Ms. Korte and developing programs and resources with Dr. Keating, I was well prepared. I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to complete my AGED 293 program with IllinoisVENTURES and the University of Illinois I-STEM Initiative.