Lead by Example

The faculty and staff of the Interdisciplinary Capstone Design program brings a wealth of experience and domain expertise to the study and practice of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. They are a dedicated group of professionals with backgrounds and ongoing practice in founding startups, venture capital, technology commercialization, deal brokering and technology management, invention, Intellectual Property (IP) protection, entrepreneurship-related governmental policy and successful exit strategies.

Jordan Inacio
Jordan Inacio graduated from Lehigh University in 2011 with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating, he began working as a Mechanical Engineer in the R&D Department at EcoTech Marine (a manufacturing start-up company from Lehigh University). He worked at EcoTech Marine for four years and improved his knowledge and skill set in 3D modeling, CNC and manual machining, programming, 3D printing, and problem solving. In addition to his years working at EcoTech Marine, Jordan has been involved in many roles throughout the Capstone program. He was enrolled in the course as an undergraduate student, then became a senior peer mentor, took two slightly modified graduate level Capstone courses, and was a sponsor for EcoTech Marine three different times. Jordan is currently an adviser for two Capstone teams (Gentex 2 and Johnson & Johnson 2), as well as, a sponsor for his own team (RuffTech). In July of 2016 Jordan enrolled in Lehigh's twelve-month, in-residence Professional Masters of Engineering program in Technical Entrepreneurship. Some of the skills Jordan has gained while enrolled in this program are: product development, visual thinking, design thinking, creativity, prototyping, intellectual property creation, and technology application. He is currently utilizing these skills, as well as, the skills gained while working at EcoTech Marine, to pursue his passion of developing innovative products for the pet industry. (Email Jordan: jvi211@lehigh.edu)

Sabrina Jedlicka
Director, Interdisciplinary Capstone Design
Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Jedlicka joined the Lehigh faculty in January 2008. Her research interests focus on the fundamental interactions between mammalian cells and cell culture substrates. Specifically, she is interested in developing reproducible, stable biointerfaces that communicate with cells and ultimately modulate cell fate and function. Research in her lab is centered on the novel development of new implantable biomaterials, as well as a variety of characterization methods, including the adaptation of non-traditional methods to biological problems. Dr. Jedlicka's research areas include: biomaterials synthesis and characterization, neuroengineering, biointerface design, surface science, and neuronal cell biology. She holds a Ph.D. and MSE from Purdue University and a BSE from Kansas State University. (Email Dr. Jedlicka: ssj207@lehigh.edu)

Susan Perry
Professor of Practice in Bioengineering
Professor Perry received her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry in 1992, from Penn State University, M.S. Hershey College of Medicine and spent five years at the National Institutes of Health, in the Section of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NINDS, before coming to Lehigh in 1999. Her active areas of research include cell differentiation and directed cell migration for application with bioactive scaffolds and BioMEMs devices. She is a Professor of Practice in Lehigh's Department of Bioengineering. (Email Dr. Perry: sup3@lehigh.edu)
 
Brian Slocum
Managing Director, Design Labs
Involved in many aspects of Lehigh University, Brian’s primary role revolves around the act of making. In addition to managing Lehigh’s premier Makerspace, the Wilbur Powerhouse, he also serves as Director of the Lehigh University Additive Manufacturing Lab, and the Design Labs, which include both wood and metal shops. While his passion is helping students physicalize their ideas and teaching them how to think with their hands in addition to their heads, Brian also teaches courses in design, metalworking, prototyping, and design build and serves as a faculty advisor for the Technical Entrepreneurship Capstone program. Professionally, Brian has co-founded Isosceles Design Studio, LLC., a design firm specializing in custom furniture and architectural and interior design and also works as a design and manufacturing consultant for various companies both large and small. (Email Brian: bcs3@lehigh.edu)