Let’s Get Down To Business

When the Statler College announced in 2021 that we would house WVU’s first prototyping center on campus the message was clear — we mean business. The Lane Innovation Hub was established in honor of Ray Lane and his wife Stephanie, to fulfill their desire to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for engineering students and people in West Virginia. At nearly 9,500 square feet, the Lane Innovation Hub houses an extensive list of state-of-the-art equipment and includes three main workshops dedicated to advanced manufacturing, rapid prototyping and electronic prototyping, with an additional lab area for metal additive manufacturing.  

Story and Photos by Brittany Furbee, Communications Specialist

The opening of the new maker space demonstrated the College’s commitment to providing an entrepreneurial ecosystem where students can foster their ideas and faculty can conduct cutting-edge research. For many determined engineering students, the Statler College is more than just a place to receive an education. It also serves as an incubator where they can dream up ideas, innovate solutions and turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

Juggling a rigorous academic schedule while chasing after dreams of becoming an entrepreneur may seem daunting or insurmountable to some. However, in true Mountaineer fashion, these engineering students were up for the challenge.

Tinkering and building small gadgets is a common pastime for engineers. Engineering students and longtime friends Craig Dombrowski and Nate Wimer frequently spent their time together hanging out in garages and building things like power bike generators to pass the time. One day, the pair was working on a drone that they had lying around when Wimer had an epiphany.

“Rather than just having fun, why can’t we build a product that someone actually would use in their business?” thought Wimer, a Morgantown native and mechanical engineering student. “We went into a deep brainstorming phase, talking for hours on end about potential ideas.”

“At first, I was interested in building a remote-controlled drone from scratch to better understand the hardware and code behind these devices,” explained Dombrowski, an aerospace engineering student from Morgantown. “Nate saw this as an opportunity to not only further our engineering curiosities, but to recognize a common problem in the industry and to develop a solution.”

Drone usage has increased substantially in recent years for both recreational and industrial applications. Drones have the potential to deliver high-demand goods such as food, medications, vaccines and packages, conduct surveying, or be used for military applications; however, there are a few key obstacles keeping drones from becoming mainstream industrial devices.

“Some of the big problems with drones are that they are unable to fly though bad weather, they are not able to cross government restricted airways such as airports and hospitals and they have a very short battery life,” explained Wimer. “They also experience connection difficulties often.”

The pair set out on a mission to develop an algorithm that would enable autonomous drones to navigate these hazards and use them to their advantage to ensure safe and efficient flights. From this idea, their business Stork Solutions was born.

“Through Stork Solutions, our goal is to develop a flight path that uses wind gradients to our advantage, making the drone more aerodynamically efficient,” said Wimer. “We want to traverse around obstacles like weather clouds and restricted airways, while considering battery limits, as well as incorporating localization techniques to fly in GPS faulty environments “A good way to think of this is Google Maps, but for drones.”

Using machine learning, their algorithm will take into consideration no fly zones set by the Federal Aviation Administration such as airports, hospitals, stadiums, wind gradients, precipitation, package or sensor weight, roads and rivers to generate a safe, efficient, and accessible path for any drone to follow.

“We also will be using a hybrid localization method that uses cell service plan for GPS, but switches to an image-based camera localization method in areas without any service,” said Dombrowski. “This allows for redundancy in cases where there is no cell service so that the drone will not need to return home but instead continue since the drone will be able to find its location after comparing images to Google Earth.”

The students recently entered their business idea into 16th Annual West Virginia Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition, a three round competition that challenges aspiring entrepreneurs to develop ideas for viable startup companies.

The competition awards technical and financial assistance to the winners. Out of nearly 100 entries, Stork Solutions is currently one of only 17 proposals selected to advance to the semi-finals of the competition.

“The next step for us in the competition and for the business overall will be constructing a 5-page report including things like value proposition, revenue model, customer interviews and feedback,” said Wimer. “This is what we are solely focusing on now, which is forcing us beyond the technical side of our product and allowing us to see the business models as well. This is where engineering meets business and marketing.”

In order to step out of their comfort zone and focus on the business side of the project, the students sought out resources that would help them develop new skills and refine their business model.

“The most valuable resource so far in our journey has been the help and expertise given by the professors here at WVU,” said Wimer. “We spoke with Dr. Guilherme Pereira and Dr. Jason Gross, who both specialize in robotics and navigation. They provided extremely useful feedback that helped shape and refine our idea. They also provided us with further resources by suggesting that we utilize the WVU Hayhurst LaunchLab.”

"The WVU LaunchLab helped us revise our pitches, reports and business model,” said Dombrowski. “Anyone with an idea should contact them because they have the motivated staff to aid you in getting your idea off of the ground.”

The business partners plan to continue entering business competitions so that they can continue getting exposure for their idea and secure funding that can be used on research and development. Once their software is developed the pair will begin building a drone prototype that will utilize their algorithms in a series of test flights.

The data collected will be used to refine their algorithms and move them one step closer to having a tangible product that they can sell to other businesses. To help with this process, they recently added Lukas Thackery, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Burke, Virginia, to their team. Thackery will serve as the group's business strategist, where he will do market analysis to help shape the company to fit their customers' needs.

“My advice to students interested in starting their own business is to at least try,” Wimer said. “It is better to try and fail, than to not try at all. Engineering is hard and balancing life and engineering is even harder, but you just must keep your head up and keep pushing no matter what to reach your goals.”

From making simple games on a graphing calculator in middle school, to coding his first mobile game in high school, it's safe to say that Nicholas Kowalski has always had an interest in game development.

“It wasn’t until high school that I found out that with just $25 I could publish my very own mobile game,” said Kowalski, a computer science major from Charles Town. “It was a great way to share my passion with my friends that had phones at the time and to make a bit of extra money at the same time.”

The first game Kowalski released was called Left, a mobile game that challenges users to race through a series of obstacles with just one catch – you can only turn left. Although the premise was simple and featured minimalistic graphics, the game inspired him to pursue mobile game development and to launch his company, Four Letter Word Games.

“Like learning any new skill, it was important to start small,” Kowalski said. “I didn’t start by making a mobile game, I started by modifying code from small desktop games and then moved on to programming my own games. Continuing to learn new skills empowered me to create more complex games at a faster rate than before.”

After getting a taste of success with his first game release, Kowalski decided to enroll at WVU as a computer science major so he could further his game development skills.

“My professors in the computer science department have been amazing and have taught me a lot of different approaches to architecting creative solutions to coding problems,” Kowalski said. “I could never make the games I make today without the skills that I have developed at WVU.”

As his skills were increasing, Kowalski decided that he would continue to develop mobile games that were deceivingly simple yet rewarding to master. He also maintained that he wanted his games to feature humorous and somewhat silly themes. Those core principles were evident in his second release, Germaphobe.

In Germaphobe, you play as a character that is terrified of germs and must avoid them for as long as possible. The skill-based arcade game allows players to fight pathogens with soap and sanitizer power-ups and defeat evil bosses like Noah the Protozoa.

In the fall of 2021, Kowalski was one of three game developers in West Virginia selected to be featured in a nationwide promotional campaign for Google Play. The #WeArePlay promotion invited select developers from across the United States to share their unique stories about building apps and game businesses and to promote their latest game releases.

“Not only did Statler College give me the programming and design skills to develop games, but it also allowed me to be featured in the Google Play campaign,” Kowlaski said. “Google Play helped me reach more people. Germaphobe was downloaded in about 20 countries, and I've not even been to 20 countries, so there's no way that could have happened otherwise.”

To date, the game has been downloaded more than 500 times on Android devices.

After the success of the Google Play campaign, Kowalski decided he wanted to continue the momentum. During the spring semester of 2022, he began brainstorming game concepts and then sought the help of the WVU LaunchLab for development.

The LaunchLab encouraged Kowalski to make a game that would be available for download on Apple devices, whereas previously he only developed games for Android. To assist with this, the WVU LaunchLab provided him with a MacBook computer that contained the resources needed to develop his new game, Seagull Smash.

In Seagull Smash you play as a seagull that is wanted by the police for wreaking havoc on a city. The goal is to destroy helicopters, drones, cars, tanks and as many objects as possible before the police can stop your reign of terror. Along the way you can collect outfits and hats that allow you to tailor your Seagull Smash experience.

The WVU LaunchLab helped Kowlaski develop marketing materials for his new game, which earned him $500 in funding from the ZinnStarter Business Pitch competition that he could use to promote the game’s release.

“I would encourage other engineering students to take advantage of all of the resources available on campus,” Kowalski said. “There are so many groups on campus for connecting and empowering like-minded individuals, like the WVU LaunchLab and the WVU Game Development Club. With the help of LaunchLab and the help of the College, my games have been downloaded thousands of times with players in over 30 countries across the globe.”

While Kowalski plans on pursuing a career in software engineering upon graduation, he maintains that game development will remain a focus in his life.

“Making games has always been a hobby of mine, and I have no plans to stop,” Kowalski said. “I plan to continue working on Seagull Smash and other games in my free time. I have big plans for Seagull Smash, so that will remain my focus for a while. New hats, new birds and new areas to explore (and smash) are just some of the things coming to the game soon!”

When Dylan Printy started a part-time internship in the fall of 2022 at Berkley Springs Instruments, a corrosion monitoring company in Frostburg, Maryland, he had no idea just how big of an opportunity he would find.

As a nondestructive testing technician and engineering intern, his duties ranged from engineering design to installing products on pipelines and storage tanks. Shortly after beginning his new job, Printy noticed that the company regularly had issues with their printed circuit boards.

“The printed circuit boards continued failing on us due to electrostatic buildup,” said Printy, a mechanical and aerospace engineering student and Frostburg native. “We had a need for a case to enclose the printed circuit boards that we used in some of our applications but couldn't find any off-the-shelf products to purchase.”

Printy found that manufacturers didn't offer the material needed to build the case, or if they did, it was highly priced with lead times of 8-10 weeks or more for delivery. Rather than wasting time searching for a pricey or unattainable part, he decided to design his own.

Using the skills he learned in the Statler College, Printy put together a computer aided design model of the part and began developing a 3D printed prototype.

“I had already been doing some minimal printing for prototypes on a personal 3D printer of mine, so I began testing different materials for us to use and ran a prototype for our team,” explained Printy. “The enclosure I designed for the circuit boards was a simple case that provided both physical protection as well as electrostatic discharge protection.”

Once the prototype of the case was ready, Printy presented it to the BSI design team and to his surprise, it was approved.

“Things all fell into place very quickly after that,” said Printy. “I upgraded to a larger 3D printer with almost all the money I had at the time, got my paperwork for a single member LLC and started production.”

Under his new business, Black Hole 3D LLC, Printy began producing electrostatic discharge cases, and his business very quickly took off. Per his agreement with BSI, the company owns the design of the case, as Printy produced it while employed by the company. However, he owns the manufacturing rights and can bill the company and others for manufacturing services.

“I am currently generating around $10,000 a month, and each month has seen more and more growth,” said Printy.

To keep up with demand and his rapidly evolving business, Printy sought out help from the WVU LaunchLab.

“The LaunchLab has been an incredible help in guiding me through all the hurdles and everything associated with a startup business,” said Printy. “The entire team are some of the most helpful and kind people I have worked with during my time at WVU.”

The staff at the WVU LaunchLab recognized that Printy would need funding to keep up with the demand of his newly designed product, so they helped him enter the Get My Drift Pitch Competition. He was crowned as one of the winners of the competition and awarded a $500 prize.

Printy used the funding to upgrade his 3D printing capabilities by purchasing multiple machines that can print a variety of materials, including metals. Soon, he plans to also purchase a laser scanning and laser engraving machine in order to expand his offerings beyond just 3D printing and CAD work.

“I would say my desire to design and create new things was always a big contributor to why I chose engineering as my major,” said Printy. “What I've learned in my time at the Statler College has been incredibly useful in not only my CAD and physical design work but also in the way I see the world and the drive for innovation it cemented with me.”

Although Printy will join BSI full-time as an engineer upon graduation, he has no plans of giving up on his business.

“No limitations is a motto that I stand by,” said Printy. “For any engineering student or anyone trying to start their own business, a saying that stuck with me on this journey is ‘if you want to take the island, burn the boats,’ which is a quote attributed to Julius Caesar. The meaning is to stake everything on success, and you will get there. There are no promises that it will be easy, but you'll only find out if you try.”

The resounding theme among engineering student entrepreneurs is that they owe their success in part to supportive faculty and the abundance of business development resources available across campus. Here are a few:

LaunchLab: Start the process

The Hayhurst LaunchLab provides WVU students, faculty and community members with a collaborative working environment to create and develop new ideas and businesses. The LaunchLab offers free services such as hands-on idea development, education, mentorship, prototyping facilities, resources and connections to help advance innovative ideas. LaunchLab clients can also work with staff engineers to design, build and test their innovations through the MakerLab, a prototyping space where clients can build a 3D small-scale model of their innovations.

Location: 4th floor of Evansdale Crossing, Room 413

Office of Technology Transfer: Work with faculty on your idea

With a focus on protecting and commercializing technology, as well as entrepreneurial education, the Office of Technology Transfer provides access to resources, expertise and programs to help promote and successfully transition innovative research into the marketplace. The Office can help faculty, staff and students with identify funding, patent and copyright applications, and intellectual property education.

Location: 886 Chestnut Ridge Research Building

Lane Innovation Hub: Take your design to a full-scale prototype

The Lane Innovation Hub is a nearly 9,500-square-foot space comprised of three main workshops dedicated to advanced manufacturing, rapid prototyping and electronic prototyping, with an additional lab area for metal additive manufacturing for creating full-size prototypes and small-scale production runs. The Lane Innovation Hub provides the WVU community with the opportunity and skills necessary to make their ideas reality.

Location: West wing ground floor of the Engineering Sciences Building

Lane Innovation Hub Service Center is a manufacturing facility where our professional staff produces products and prototypes from designs by WVU faculty, students and staff as well as entrepreneurs and companies from around West Virginia.

Lane Innovation Hub Maker Space is dedicated to empowering WVU students with training and access to a wide variety of fabrication and electronics prototyping equipment. The facility is comprised of multiple spaces outfitted with advanced prototyping and manufacturing equipment.

Vantage Ventures: Scale your business

Vantage Ventures is a concentrated effort to launch high-impact, scalable businesses that tackle complex challenges. Its mission is to support teams building businesses deploying intellectual property across WVU’s expansive research platforms and leveraging its untapped pools of science, technology, engineering and business talent.

Location: 2156 University Ave, Suite 400, Morgantown, WV 26505

Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Provides support

The Encova Center is an outreach center within the John Chambers College of Business and Economics. The Encova Center promotes entrepreneurial education, community engagement and economic development for our community and state through K-12 programming, higher education initiatives and business partnerships. The Encova Center hosts the annual Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition and provides support to the Entrepreneurship Curriculum, student experiential projects, and WVU student organizations.

Location: 83 Beechurst Avenue, PO Box 6025, Morgantown, WV 26505