Valpo MBA graduate, engineering professors honored for innovation

A recent graduate of Valparaiso University’s Master of Business Administration program and a team of College of Engineering faculty were honored recently for their innovation and inducted into the Society of Innovators at Ivy Tech Community College Northwest.

Stephen Bartholomew, a Valpo MBA graduate who had a new idea for indoor throwing weights for practice and competition, was inducted as an individual member into the Innovator’s Society. Bartholomew launched Dominator Athletics in Valparaiso to make smaller, more durable weights, including a trademarked design thrown by the top 10 finishers in this year’s USA Track and Field Indoor National Championship in New Mexico.

Team Time Engineers, which launched one of the first computer games to help students learn about engineering, were inducted as a team. This award-winning game introduces foundational concepts of engineering, ranging from ancient Egypt, where students learn to build pyramids, to World War II, where they design a submarine or radar system. It was designed by Valparaiso University’s College of Engineering with graphic designs by Software Kids, LLC. Team members include: Eric Johnson, Douglas Tougaw and Peter Weiss, all Valpo College of Engineering professors; and Ray Shingler, of Software Kids, LLC.

“These feats of innovation are great examples of the quality work done every day by current and former students and the faculty at Valpo,” said Valparaiso University Provost Mark Schwehn. “Their work can now serve as an inspiration to others to continue to find ways make such contributions to technology and society.”

The Society of Innovators is an initiative of the Gerald I. Lamkin Center at Ivy Tech, established in 2005 to serve the campuses of Gary, Valparaiso, Michigan City and East Chicago through initiatives that encourage staff, faculty, students and community to “think differently” in a global economy.