Engineering + Entrepreneurship = Innova8x

Empowering Industry Podcast - A Production of Empowering Pumps & Equipment

Special Bonus Episode! Charlie has The McNeil Team from the Colorado School of Mines, this year's EPIC location, on to get to know them bit more.
The McNeil Team

Sid Hanna Saleh, Ph.D. – McNeil Center Director and Associate Professor

As the Director of the McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Dr. Sid Saleh plays a pivotal role in upholding our mission to cultivate a campus-centric entrepreneurial culture by producing experiential programs that combine creative discovery with business and financial astuteness towards creating sustainable value. Leading unique programs such as Innov8X, Sid fast-tracks early innovative endeavors via rigorous curricula, efficient methods, demonstration spaces, mentorship, and early-stage funding.

In 2023, Sid was honored as the Americas Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year by the Accreditation Council of Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities. Sid is a member of the Mines Faculty Senate and was past chair of the Research Council which represents faculty on matters pertaining to the Mines research enterprise. It provides research instrumentation funding and recommends faculty for academic research excellence awards.

Sid’s research investigates why some early ideas gain traction while others fizzle out. He explores how founders can collaborate to frame problems and create value despite their constraints. A former Apple product manager and entrepreneur, Sid’s experience motivates his research and enriches his teaching. In practice, Sid has conducted over a hundred conjoint analysis studies for innovation-seeking high-tech organizations including Apple, Best Buy, CEA, IBM, Motorola, Philips Medical and others. Sid currently serves as a board member of the Tri-County Workforce Development Board, Future Cities and the CiviCore Foundation.

Lia Franklin, Ph.D. – McNeil Center Associate Director

Dr. Lia Franklin has spent the past 30 years of her career in higher education supporting students, training, teaching, and inspiring others. She is passionate about helping people live their dreams. An entrepreneur at heart, she has run her own small business for over 25 years and has developed women’s leadership training programs over her career.

Lia’s sweet spot is where education and industry connect. She began with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing, and later earned her master’s in college student personnel (Ed / Psych) from Western Illinois University before earning her PhD in Leadership, Research, and Policy from University of Colorado. Before joining the Mines community, Lia ran an international MBA program at a regional campus. She joined Mines in 2014 and first served in the Advanced Steel Processing Center. She then moved to Student Life and helped run operations for the Division of Student Life before joining the McNeil team in January 2023.

As the McNeil Associate Director, she leads all the Innov8x Challenges, including sourcing industry problems, developing partnerships, marketing and student engagement, and event day planning and implementation. She also focuses on developing industry, government, and non-profit partnerships with the McNeil Center, and develops Center based programming and outreach.

Read up at EmpoweringPumps.com and stay tuned for more news about EPIC at the Colorado School of Mines Nov 12th and 13th
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