In March, the third cohort of NOVA Fab Lab’s Product Design Incubator (PDI) launched with 24 students. Recently, two educators from NorthWest Arkansas Community College visited NOVA to observe the program in action.
PDI features students from business administration, computer science, engineering, science, art, and the Medical Education Campus (MEC). The program is led by Fab Lab Coordinator Richard Sewell, with IET Project Manager Chris Russell and Associate Professor of Business Administration Cameisha Chin as co-leads.
The PDI program walks students through the full product development process, blending design thinking, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement. It encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration and strengthens essential IET workforce skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem solving.
Throughout the spring semester, students attend six workshops to build entrepreneurial skills. In the summer, they move into the prototyping phase and pitch their projects to regional entrepreneurs. Upon completion, each participant receives a stipend.
The program begins with the Disagio Model. “Disagio,” meaning “discomfort” in Italian, refers to a recurring frustration or unmet need. Each group identifies several disagi, then selects one that resonates with all members to guide their project focus.
“The goal of PDI is to take students without any design experience and help them create a fully formed idea,” Chris Russell explains.
On March 10, NorthWest Arkansas Community College’s Matthew Meers and Elysia Contreras Springer visited the class. Meers is a 3D art specialist; Springer is an NSF Grant Director, serial entrepreneur, and co-founder of Gnargo Bike Co., an e-bike startup.
Elysia enthused “What a day to see Richard, Chris, and the student cohort in their element! Teams were defining and selecting their disagio—a topic that made them uncomfortable—which would ultimately evolve into a problem to be solved. It was a great opportunity to step back from a solution-focused mindset and really encourage the teams to embrace the range of problems that could stem from their chosen topic. The atmosphere in the Fab Lab fostered engagement, inspired curiosity, and made you want to stick around and dig deeper. I can’t wait to see where each team ends up after their 12 weeks.”
Irene Tran, a Computer Science Student in PDI, said “So far, my experience as a participant in the PDI program has been immensely positive. I love how the program is designed to focus on developing soft skills—which are critical in a workplace environment, even though they’re often not emphasized in traditional résumés. Our instructors—Chris, Richard, and Cameisha—are absolutely amazing. Stories about their work experiences are inspiring, and they’re incredibly supportive and welcoming. Because of this, PDI feels like less than an internship but more than a big group project—it’s an experience that helps one’s creativity and problem-solving skills flourish. PDI already feels like an essential part of my weekly routine, and I look forward to each session, wondering what new perspective or story I’ll get to explore.”