Results for VPGE::Interdisciplinary

The excitement around social innovation and entrepreneurship has spawned numerous startups focused on tackling world problems, particularly in the fields of education and health. The best social ventures are launched with careful consideration paid to research, design, and efficacy. This course offers students insights into understanding how to effectively develop, evaluate, and scale social ventures. Using TeachAIDS (an award-winning nonprofit educational technology social venture used in 78 countries) as a primary case study, students will be given an in-depth look into how the entity was founded and scaled globally. Guest speakers will include world-class experts and entrepreneurs in Philanthropy, Medicine, Communications, Education, and Technology. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

This interdisciplinary arts/anthropology lab class will study and practice methods from performing arts to expand our understandings of cultural contact and develop methods of thinking more expansively about the creative elements and possibilities for ethnographic fieldwork and critical cultural studies. Prerequisite, by instructor consent.

An exploration of the dynamic relationship between technology and the ways we see and represent the world. The course examines technologies from the Renaissance through the present day, from telescopes and microscopes to digital detectors, that have changed and enhanced our visual capabilities as well as shaped how we imagine the world. We also consider how these technologies influenced and inspired the work of artists. Special attention is paid to how different technologies such as linear perspective, photography, cinema, and computer screens translate the visual experience into a representation; the automation of vision; and the intersection of technology with conceptions of time and space.

For graduate and undergraduate students interested in the natural sciences and the Spanish language. Students will acquire the ability to communicate in Spanish using scientific language and will enhance their ability to read scientific literature written in Spanish. Emphasis on the development of science in Spanish-speaking countries or regions. Course is conducted in Spanish and intended for students pursuing degrees in the sciences, particularly disciplines such as ecology, environmental science, sustainability, resource management, anthropology, and archeology.

Students register through their affiliated department; otherwise register for CHEMENG 459. For specialists and non-specialists. Sponsored by the Stanford BioX Program. Three seminars per quarter address scientific and technical themes related to interdisciplinary approaches in bioengineering, medicine, and the chemical, physical, and biological sciences. Leading investigators from Stanford and the world present breakthroughs and endeavors that cut across core disciplines. Pre-seminars introduce basic concepts and background for non-experts. Registered students attend all pre-seminars; others welcome. See http://biox.stanford.edu/courses/459.html. Recommended: basic mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Students register through their affiliated department; otherwise register for CHEMENG 459. For specialists and non-specialists. Sponsored by the Stanford BioX Program. Three seminars per quarter address scientific and technical themes related to interdisciplinary approaches in bioengineering, medicine, and the chemical, physical, and biological sciences. Leading investigators from Stanford and the world present breakthroughs and endeavors that cut across core disciplines. Pre-seminars introduce basic concepts and background for non-experts. Registered students attend all pre-seminars; others welcome. See http://biox.stanford.edu/courses/459.html. Recommended: basic mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics.

This seminar examines the emerging mobile health industry. Mobile health is the provision of health services and information via mobile technologies such as mobile phones and wearable sensors. Faculty from Stanford University and other academic institutions and guest lecturers from the mobile health industry discuss the driving needs, opportunities and challenges that characterize the emerging mobile health innovation landscape, and present an overview of the technologies, initiatives and companies that are transforming the way we access health care today.

A hands-on, project-based course, in which teams identify and work with users, domain experts, and industry participants to identify an unmet customer need, design new products or services that meet that need, and develop business models to support the creation and launch of startup products or services. This course integrates methods from human-centered design, lean startup, and business model planning. Each team will conceive, design, build, and field-test critical aspects of both the product or service and the business model.

Students register through their affiliated department; otherwise register for CHEMENG 459. For specialists and non-specialists. Sponsored by the Stanford BioX Program. Three seminars per quarter address scientific and technical themes related to interdisciplinary approaches in bioengineering, medicine, and the chemical, physical, and biological sciences. Leading investigators from Stanford and the world present breakthroughs and endeavors that cut across core disciplines. Pre-seminars introduce basic concepts and background for non-experts. Registered students attend all pre-seminars; others welcome. See http://biox.stanford.edu/courses/459.html. Recommended: basic mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Public and private sources of finance for large, complex, capital-intensive projects in developed and developing countries. Benefits and disadvantages, major participants, risk sharing, and challenges of project finance in emerging markets. Financial, economic, political, cultural, and technological elements that affect project structures, processes, and outcomes. Case studies. Limited enrollment.

This interdisciplinary course integrates the legal, scientific, and policy dimensions of how we characterize and manage resource use and allocation along the California coast. We will use this geographic setting as the vehicle for exploring more generally how agencies, legislatures, and courts resolve resource-use conflicts and the role that scientific information and uncertainty play in the process. Our focus will be on the land-sea interface as we explore contemporary coastal land-use and marine resource decision-making, including coastal pollution, public health, ecosystem management; public access; private development; local community and state infrastructure; natural systems and significant threats; resource extraction; and conservation, mitigation and restoration. Students will learn the fundamental physics, chemistry, and biology of the coastal zone, tools for exploring data collected in the coastal ocean, and the institutional framework that shapes public and private decisions affecting coastal resources. There will be 3 to 4 written assignments addressing policy and science issues during the quarter, as well as a take-home final assignment. Special Instructions: In-class work and discussion is often done in interdisciplinary teams of students from the School of Law, the School of Engineering, the School of Humanities and Sciences, and the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences. Students are expected to participate in class discussion and field trips. Elements used in grading: Participation, including class session and field trip attendance, writing and quantitative assignments. Cross-listed with Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE 175A/275A), Earth Systems (EARTHSYS 175/275), Law (LAW514), and Public Policy (PUBLPOL 175/275). Open to graduate students and to advanced undergraduates with instructor consent.

Open to seniors and graduate students interested in the creation of new ventures and entrepreneurship in engineering and science intensive industries such as chemical, energy, materials, bioengineering, environmental, clean-tech, pharmaceuticals, medical, and biotechnology. Exploration of the dynamics, complexity, and challenges that define creating new ventures, particularly in industries that require long development times, large investments, integration across a wide range of technical and non-technical disciplines, and the creation and protection of intellectual property. Covers business basics, opportunity viability, creating start-ups, entrepreneurial leadership, and entrepreneurship as a career. Teaching methods include lectures, case studies, guest speakers, and individual and team projects.

Students register through their affiliated department; otherwise register for CHEMENG 459. For specialists and non-specialists. Sponsored by the Stanford BioX Program. Three seminars per quarter address scientific and technical themes related to interdisciplinary approaches in bioengineering, medicine, and the chemical, physical, and biological sciences. Leading investigators from Stanford and the world present breakthroughs and endeavors that cut across core disciplines. Pre-seminars introduce basic concepts and background for non-experts. Registered students attend all pre-seminars; others welcome. See http://biox.stanford.edu/courses/459.html. Recommended: basic mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Open to seniors and graduate students interested in the creation of new ventures and entrepreneurship in engineering and science intensive industries such as chemical, energy, materials, bioengineering, environmental, clean-tech, pharmaceuticals, medical, and biotechnology. Exploration of the dynamics, complexity, and challenges that define creating new ventures, particularly in industries that require long development times, large investments, integration across a wide range of technical and non-technical disciplines, and the creation and protection of intellectual property. Covers business basics, opportunity viability, creating start-ups, entrepreneurial leadership, and entrepreneurship as a career. Teaching methods include lectures, case studies, guest speakers, and individual and team projects.

Students register through their affiliated department; otherwise register for CHEMENG 459. For specialists and non-specialists. Sponsored by the Stanford BioX Program. Three seminars per quarter address scientific and technical themes related to interdisciplinary approaches in bioengineering, medicine, and the chemical, physical, and biological sciences. Leading investigators from Stanford and the world present breakthroughs and endeavors that cut across core disciplines. Pre-seminars introduce basic concepts and background for non-experts. Registered students attend all pre-seminars; others welcome. See http://biox.stanford.edu/courses/459.html. Recommended: basic mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics.

(Same as STRAMGT 356) The Startup Garage is an experiential lab course that focuses on the design, testing and launch of a new venture. Multidisciplinary student teams work through an iterative process of understanding user needs, creating a point of view statement, ideating and prototyping new product and services and their business models, and communicating the user need, product, service and business models to end-users, partners, and investors. In the autumn quarter, teams will: identify and validate a compelling user need and develop very preliminary prototypes for a new product or service and business models. Students form teams, conduct field work and iterate on the combination of business model -- product -- market. Teams will present their first prototypes (business model - product - market) at the end of the quarter to a panel of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and faculty.

This is the second quarter of the two-quarter series. In this quarter, student teams expand the field work they started in the fall quarter. They get out of the building to talk to potential customers, partners, distributors, and investors to test and refine their business model, product/service and market. This quarter the teams will be expected to develop and test a minimally viable product, iterate, and focus on validated lessons on: the market opportunity, user need and behavior, user interactions with the product or service, business unit economics, sale and distribution models, partnerships, value proposition, and funding strategies. Teams will interact with customers, partners, distributors, investors and mentors with the end goal of developing and delivering a funding pitch to a panel of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and faculty.

In this course we creatively apply information technologies to collectively attack Global Grand Challenges (e.g., global warming, rising healthcare costs and declining access, and ensuring quality education for all). This quarter we will focus on assisting refugees. Interdisciplinary student teams will carry out need-finding within a target domain, followed by brainstorming to propose a quarter long project. Teams will spend the rest of the quarter applying user-centered design methods to rapidly iterate through design, prototyping, and testing of their solutions. This course will interweave a weekly lecture with a weekly studio session where students apply the techniques hands-on in a small-scale, supportive environment.

For graduate and undergraduate students interested in the natural sciences and the Spanish language. Students will acquire the ability to communicate in Spanish using scientific language and will enhance their ability to read scientific literature written in Spanish. Emphasis on the development of science in Spanish-speaking countries or regions. Course is conducted in Spanish and intended for students pursuing degrees in the sciences, particularly disciplines such as ecology, environmental science, sustainability, resource management, anthropology, and archeology.

This interdisciplinary course integrates the legal, scientific, and policy dimensions of how we characterize and manage resource use and allocation along the California coast. We will use this geographic setting as the vehicle for exploring more generally how agencies, legislatures, and courts resolve resource-use conflicts and the role that scientific information and uncertainty play in the process. Our focus will be on the land-sea interface as we explore contemporary coastal land-use and marine resource decision-making, including coastal pollution, public health, ecosystem management; public access; private development; local community and state infrastructure; natural systems and significant threats; resource extraction; and conservation, mitigation and restoration. Students will learn the fundamental physics, chemistry, and biology of the coastal zone, tools for exploring data collected in the coastal ocean, and the institutional framework that shapes public and private decisions affecting coastal resources. There will be 3 to 4 written assignments addressing policy and science issues during the quarter, as well as a take-home final assignment. Special Instructions: In-class work and discussion is often done in interdisciplinary teams of students from the School of Law, the School of Engineering, the School of Humanities and Sciences, and the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences. Students are expected to participate in class discussion and field trips. Elements used in grading: Participation, including class session and field trip attendance, writing and quantitative assignments. Cross-listed with Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE 175A/275A), Earth Systems (EARTHSYS 175/275), Law (LAW514), and Public Policy (PUBLPOL 175/275). Open to graduate students and to advanced undergraduates with instructor consent.

This is a project-based workshop. Practical introduction to issues in educational policy making, education reform, educational planning, implementation of policy interventions, and monitoring and evaluation in developing country contexts. Preference to students enrolled in ICE/IEAPA, but open to other students interested in international development or comparative public policy with instructor's consent. Attendance at first class required for enrollment.

(Same as LAW 660A). The Youth and Education Law Project offers students the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of educational rights and reform work, including direct representation of youth and families in special education and school discipline matters, community outreach and education, school reform litigation, and/or policy research and advocacy. All students have an opportunity to represent elementary and high school students with disabilities in special education proceedings, to represent students in school discipline proceedings, or to work with community groups in advocating for the provision of better and more equitable educational opportunities to their children. In addition, the clinic may pursue a specific policy research and advocacy project that will result in a written policy brief and policy proposal. Students working on special education matters have the opportunity to handle all aspects of their clients' cases. Students working in this area interview and counsel clients, investigate and develop facts, work with medical and mental health professionals and experts, conduct legal and educational research, create case plans, and represent clients at individual education program (IEP) team meetings, mediation or special education due process hearings. This work offers students a chance to study the relationship between individual special education advocacy and system-wide reform efforts such as impact litigation. Students working on school discipline matters interview and counsel clients, investigate and develop facts, interview witnesses, conduct legal and educational research, create case plan, and represent clients at school discipline hearings such as expulsion hearings. Such hearings provide the opportunity to present oral and written argument, examine witnesses, and present evidence before a hearing officer. If appropriate and necessary, such proceedings also present the opportunity to represent students on appeal before the school district board of trustees or the county board of education. The education clinic includes two or three mandatory training sessions to be held at the beginning of the term, a weekly seminar that focuses on legal skills and issues in law and education policy, regular case review, and a one hour weekly meeting with the clinic instructor. Admission is by consent of instructor. Beginning with the 2009-2010 academic year, each of the Law School's clinical courses is being offered on a full-time basis for 12 credits.

The excitement around social innovation and entrepreneurship has spawned numerous startups focused on tackling world problems, particularly in the fields of education and health. The best social ventures are launched with careful consideration paid to research, design, and efficacy. This course offers students insights into understanding how to effectively develop, evaluate, and scale social ventures. Using TeachAIDS (an award-winning nonprofit educational technology social venture used in 78 countries) as a primary case study, students will be given an in-depth look into how the entity was founded and scaled globally. Guest speakers will include world-class experts and entrepreneurs in Philanthropy, Medicine, Communications, Education, and Technology. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Cross-listed with Law (LAW 781), Political Science (POLISCI 334) and Sociology (SOC 374). Associated with the Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS). Year-long workshop for doctoral students and advanced undergraduates writing senior theses on the nature of civil society or philanthropy. Focus is on pursuit of progressive research and writing contributing to the current scholarly knowledge of the nonprofit sector and philanthropy. Accomplished in a large part through peer review. Readings include recent scholarship in aforementioned fields. May be repeated for credit for a maximum of 9 units.

(Also GSBGEN 381). Appropriate for any student driven to effect positive social change from either the for-profit or nonprofit sector, Strategic Philanthropy (GSBGEN 381/ EDUC 377C) will challenge students to expand their own strategic thinking about philanthropic aspiration and action. In recent decades, philanthropy has become an industry in itself - amounting to over $300 billion in the year 2012. Additionally, the last decade has seen unprecedented innovation in both philanthropy and social change. This course explores the key operational and strategic distinctions between traditional philanthropic entities, such as community foundations, private foundations, and corporate foundations; and innovative models, including funding intermediaries, open-source platforms, technology-driven philanthropies, and venture philanthropy partnerships. Course work will include readings and case discussions that encourage students to analyze both domestic and global philanthropic strategies as they relate to foundation mission, grant making, evaluation, financial management, infrastructure, knowledge management, policy change, and board governance. Guest speakers will consist of high profile philanthropists, foundation presidents, social entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley business leaders creating new philanthropic models. The course will also provide students with real-world grantmaking experience in completing nonprofit organizational assessments and making grants to organizations totaling $20,000. The course will culminate in an individual project in which students will complete a business plan for a $10 million private foundation.

In this lab, multi-disciplinary teams of students tackle high-impact, unsolved problems for social sector partners. Teams receive mentorship and coaching from Stanford faculty, domain experts, and data science experts from industry. Sample projects include innovations for: poverty alleviation in the developing world, local government services, education, and healthcare. Limited enrollment; application required. May be repeated for credit. See http://datalab.stanford.edu for more information.

This project-based d.school class combines Design Thinking Processes, Behavioral Sciences, elements of Diffusion Theory, and a methodology for scaled transformation. Tools and theories introduced in class will be used to structure large-scale transformations that simultaneously create value on environmental, societal, and economic fronts. This is a project-based class involving team-based, real world challenges that are all complex and scaled. Primarily meant for Graduate Students (especially qualified/motivated Seniors will be considered). Admission to the class is through an application process which ends on March 3. Please find instructions and applications at https://dschool.stanford.edu/groups/largetransformations/.

An exploration of the dynamic relationship between technology and the ways we see and represent the world. The course examines technologies from the Renaissance through the present day, from telescopes and microscopes to digital detectors, that have changed and enhanced our visual capabilities as well as shaped how we imagine the world. We also consider how these technologies influenced and inspired the work of artists. Special attention is paid to how different technologies such as linear perspective, photography, cinema, and computer screens translate the visual experience into a representation; the automation of vision; and the intersection of technology with conceptions of time and space.

The excitement around social innovation and entrepreneurship has spawned numerous startups focused on tackling world problems, particularly in the fields of education and health. The best social ventures are launched with careful consideration paid to research, design, and efficacy. This course offers students insights into understanding how to effectively develop, evaluate, and scale social ventures. Using TeachAIDS (an award-winning nonprofit educational technology social venture used in 78 countries) as a primary case study, students will be given an in-depth look into how the entity was founded and scaled globally. Guest speakers will include world-class experts and entrepreneurs in Philanthropy, Medicine, Communications, Education, and Technology. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

The interdisciplinary field of medical humanities: the use of the arts and humanities to examine medicine in personal, social, and cultural contexts. Topics include the doctor/patient relationship, the patient perspective, the meaning of doctoring, and the meaning of illness. Sources include visual and performing arts, film, and literary genres such as poetry, fiction, and scholarly writing. Designed for medical students in the Biomedical Ethics and Medical Humanities Scholarly Concentration, but all students are welcome.

For graduate and undergraduate students interested in the natural sciences and the Spanish language. Students will acquire the ability to communicate in Spanish using scientific language and will enhance their ability to read scientific literature written in Spanish. Emphasis on the development of science in Spanish-speaking countries or regions. Course is conducted in Spanish and intended for students pursuing degrees in the sciences, particularly disciplines such as ecology, environmental science, sustainability, resource management, anthropology, and archeology.

Part two of two-quarter project course jointly offered by School of Engineering and Graduate School of Business. Second quarter emphasizes prototyping and implementation of specific projects identified in first quarter. Students work in cross-disciplinary project teams. Industry and adviser interaction, weekly design reviews; final course presentation. Prerequisite: 206A.n(Jointly offered as GSB OIT333B) Design Institute class; see http://dschool.stanford.edu.

Students learn to tell personal narratives using the automobile. Identify a variety of "drive along¿ experiences to connect historic with new car conversations. Examine car/driver interactions: use archive and media inspired approaches to show how memorable moments are amplified during semi-autonomous driving in polarized areas. Imagine riding in the back seat of an Uber ride with a friend, heading to SF after class, going home from a SOMA start-up job, or heading to a location between meetings. What if you are driving in an autonomous assisted vehicle on a sunny vs. snowy day, in an urban setting or a pastoral setting? A unique component of the class is that the participant driver will be positioned in the car with an individual that she always hoped to have a conversation with. Methods drawn from socio-cognitive psychology, design thinking and fine art help students examine car experiences; conduct planned and spontaneous user interviews; video tape; to gather findings from the emerging stories. Course culminates in final storytelling presentation and showcase. Class Size limited to 18.

Design Thinking Studio is an immersive introduction to design thinking. You will engage in the real world, with your eyes, with your mind, with your hands, and with classmates to learn, practice, and use the tools and attitudes of design. The fundamental goal of the class is to cultivate the creative, synthetic, and divergent thinking of students. This is a project-based class, asking students to take on new behaviors of work: collaboration, experimentation, empathizing, visualization, craft and inference. Field work and collaboration with teammates are required and critical for student success. Winter 2016: This quarter, we will work on exercising your design muscles, the things designers do everyday (outside of projects or process) that shape their practice. In addition to teamwork, we will practice different core design capacities to stimulate creativity, and make you a better communicator and collaborator. Admission by application. See dschool.stanford.edu/classesnfor more information.

The excitement around social innovation and entrepreneurship has spawned numerous startups focused on tackling world problems, particularly in the fields of education and health. The best social ventures are launched with careful consideration paid to research, design, and efficacy. This course offers students insights into understanding how to effectively develop, evaluate, and scale social ventures. Using TeachAIDS (an award-winning nonprofit educational technology social venture used in 78 countries) as a primary case study, students will be given an in-depth look into how the entity was founded and scaled globally. Guest speakers will include world-class experts and entrepreneurs in Philanthropy, Medicine, Communications, Education, and Technology. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

For graduate students and advanced undergraduates. The foundations of finance; applications in corporate finance and investment management. Financial decisions made by corporate managers and investors with focus on process valuation. Topics include criteria for investment decisions, valuation of financial assets and liabilities, relationships between risk and return, market efficiency, and the valuation of derivative securities. Corporate financial instruments including debt, equity, and convertible securities. Equivalent to core MBA finance course, FINANCE 220. Prerequisites:ECON 50, ECON 102A, or equivalents; ability to use spreadsheets, and basic probability and statistics concepts including random variables, expected value, variance, covariance, and simple estimation and regression.

Students register through their affiliated department; otherwise register for CHEMENG 459. For specialists and non-specialists. Sponsored by the Stanford BioX Program. Three seminars per quarter address scientific and technical themes related to interdisciplinary approaches in bioengineering, medicine, and the chemical, physical, and biological sciences. Leading investigators from Stanford and the world present breakthroughs and endeavors that cut across core disciplines. Pre-seminars introduce basic concepts and background for non-experts. Registered students attend all pre-seminars; others welcome. See http://biox.stanford.edu/courses/459.html. Recommended: basic mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Successful leaders on the journey to better care delivery methods with lower total spending inevitably face pivotal crises. What confluence of attitude, strategy, and events allows them to prevail? Contexts will include entrepreneurship and early stage investing, spread of higher value care delivery innovations, health care delivery system management, and private and public policy making to reward value. Guest faculty will include nationally recognized leaders and change agents, who will invite students to recommend alternative approaches to managing pivotal challenges. The course is open to any member of the Stanford community aspiring to lead higher value in health care delivery including graduate students, undergraduates, and postdoctoral candidates, as well as medical center residents and clinical fellows. May be repeated for credit

(Same as STRAMGT 356) The Startup Garage is an experiential lab course that focuses on the design, testing and launch of a new venture. Multidisciplinary student teams work through an iterative process of understanding user needs, creating a point of view statement, ideating and prototyping new product and services and their business models, and communicating the user need, product, service and business models to end-users, partners, and investors. In the autumn quarter, teams will: identify and validate a compelling user need and develop very preliminary prototypes for a new product or service and business models. Students form teams, conduct field work and iterate on the combination of business model -- product -- market. Teams will present their first prototypes (business model - product - market) at the end of the quarter to a panel of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and faculty.

This is the second quarter of the two-quarter series. In this quarter, student teams expand the field work they started in the fall quarter. They get out of the building to talk to potential customers, partners, distributors, and investors to test and refine their business model, product/service and market. This quarter the teams will be expected to develop and test a minimally viable product, iterate, and focus on validated lessons on: the market opportunity, user need and behavior, user interactions with the product or service, business unit economics, sale and distribution models, partnerships, value proposition, and funding strategies. Teams will interact with customers, partners, distributors, investors and mentors with the end goal of developing and delivering a funding pitch to a panel of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and faculty.

Startup Garage is an intensive hands-on, project-based course, in which students will apply the concepts of design thinking, engineering, finance, business and organizational skills to design and test new business concepts that address real world needs . Our aspiration is to help teams identify an unmet customer need, design new products or services that meet that need, and develop business models to support the creation and launch of startup products or services. Even those teams that do not successfully launch a venture, or individuals who decide not to move forward, will learn critical, cutting-edge techniques about starting and launching a venture. Collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams will identify and work with users, domain experts, and industry participants to identify and deeply understand customer needs, then proceed to design products or services and a business model to address those needs. Each team will conceive, design, build, and field-test critical aspects of both the product or service and the business model. This course is offered by the Graduate School of Business. It integrates methods from human-centered design, lean startup, and business model planning. The course focuses on developing entrepreneurial skills (using short lectures and in-class exercises) and then applying these skills to specific problems faced by those users identified by the teams. Teams will get out of the building and interact directly with users and advisers to develop a deep understanding of the challenges they face and to field test their proposed services, products, and business models.