GPS.00005 : Physics Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PIE) Education in First Year Physics Courses

The PIPELINE Network project is a group of institutions, working with APS, brought together to create, document, and disseminate new and existing approaches to teaching innovation and entrepreneurship at all levels across the physics curriculum. Companies that hire physics graduates recognize the value of a physics degree; however, physics majors often overlook the strong foundation that the degree provides for many career paths. When these aspects are coupled with the rate of change of the economy and its impact on industry and academic communities, it is ever more important for programs to explicitly incorporate Physics Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PIE) educational activities into the curriculum. Wright State University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute are part of the PIPELINE Network project and have a particular focus on contributing materials for first year physics courses. We will discuss these materials, materials we have adopted from the network, and the overall direction of the collaborative PIPELINE Network project