The Build Fellowship Hub: Articles

Geotechnical monitoring is a critical aspect of mining operations, ensuring the safety and stability of mine structures by measuring and analyzing ground movements, stress, and other geotechnical parameters. This Build Project introduces students to fundamental geotechnical monitoring techniques and tools, empowering them to understand and manage potential geological hazards within a mine environment. Through hands-on experience and data analysis, you will gain a foundational understanding of how geotechnical monitoring plays a key role in enhancing mine safety.

physical-life-science

environmental-governance, science-communication, policy-advocacy

Bridging Science and Policy for Effective Environmental Management

Swapnil Mishra

and 1 more

Develop a policy framework that bridges environmental science and public policy to address uncertainties and knowledge gaps in real-world environmental challenges.

Environmental Science Fellow

In today’s environmental policy sector, the ability to transform scientific data into actionable, evidence-based policy solutions is a fundamental skill sought after in entry-level roles across government agencies, NGOs, and private companies. In this Build Project, you'll step into the role of an environmental policy analyst and develop practical solutions to real-world challenges like nuclear waste management and lead contamination. Under the guidance of your instructor, you'll analyze scientific research, assess stakeholder concerns, and craft well-informed policy recommendations that balance both environmental and societal needs. You'll become familiar with industry tools and methodologies such as stakeholder mapping and policy analysis frameworks. All this will take place in an environment that mirrors the operations of a real-world environmental policy team, providing hands-on experience in addressing global environmental challenges.

business

b2b-marketing, market-research, digital-marketing, product-launch

Build a B2B Marketing Plan for a Healthcare Company

Suchi Agrawal

and 1 more

Create a comprehensive B2B marketing plan for a healthcare company planning to launch a new product.

Market Research Fellow

This Build Project focuses on helping you understand the key components of B2B marketing in the healthcare sector. You will be tasked with creating a basic marketing plan for a healthcare company launching a new product. The project will guide you through the process of conducting market research, understanding target audiences, designing a simple marketing strategy, and using digital tools to promote a product to healthcare providers. By the end of the project, you will be able to create a comprehensive plan to present to a healthcare company's decision-makers.

physical-life-science

public-health-policy, health-equity, social-determinants-of-health, policy-advocacy

A Strategic Approach to Solving Public Health Challenges

Shreyasi Chakraborty

and 1 more

Design culturally sensitive public health strategies by integrating legal, ethical, and behavioral insights to address real-world health challenges.

Regulatory Affairs Fellow

Public health policies often fall short when they fail to account for sociocultural and behavioral factors, resulting in interventions that lack equity and cultural sensitivity. In this Build Project, you’ll step into the role of a Public Health Policy Strategist to design culturally competent healthcare strategies. Under the supervision of an experienced healthcare professional, you’ll analyze real-world scenarios to develop actionable policy briefs, infographics, and presentations that integrate ethical, legal, and behavioral insights. You’ll gain hands-on experience in public health policy development, mastering tools and methodologies used to create impactful, equitable solutions. This project offers a unique opportunity to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical applications, preparing you for a meaningful career in public health and health policy.

business

storytelling, brand-strategy, consumer-insights, market-research, emotional-marketing

The Art of Storytelling: Crafting Brand Stories with Market Insights

Saud Tufail

and 1 more

Learn to create compelling brand stories using basic market research insights and storytelling techniques to connect emotionally with your target audience.

Market Research Fellow

Storytelling is a powerful marketing tool, and when it’s aligned with market research, it can create deeper connections with consumers. In this Build Project, you will learn how to craft a compelling brand story by leveraging easily accessible market research tools. The goal is to show you how consumer insights, such as trends, behaviors, preferences, and needs, can influence a narrative and strengthen its impact. Using free and basic online research tools (like Google Trends, social media analytics, or surveys), you will gather insights and then apply these findings to develop an engaging brand story. The final product will be a brand story that is not only creative but also data-driven.

engineering

design-for-manufacturing, materials-science, cad, technical-writing, user-centered-project-design

Mechvention: Solving Mechanical Engineering Problems Through Creativity

Satyam Shukla

and 1 more

Identify, design, and develop a solution to a problem of an industry of your choice by expanding the horizons of mechanical design and merging science with creativity.

Mechanical Engineering Fellow

A mechanical designer walks between the realms of science and creativity. In this Build Project, you - the ambitious innovators, will understand how to develop an idea by following engineering design principles. You will learn to identify a problem strategically, use brainstorming tools to create multiple ideas, and use your engineering knowledge to develop these ideas for production.

During your project, you will apply practical mechanical engineering tools used in the industry to maximize the reliability of your solutions. Skills learned during this project will help you understand the fast iteration of idea development and follow-through required to excel in a modern engineering environment.

engineering

biotech-supply-chain, lean-principles, optimization, six-sigma

Industrial Engineering in Action: Optimizing Biotech Pharma Supply Chains

Akshay Mavani

and 1 more

Apply industrial engineering principles to tackle real-world challenges in biotech and pharmaceutical supply chains, focusing on efficiency, compliance, and risk management.

Industrial Engineering Fellow

Step into the world of biotech and pharma, where supply chains handle life-saving medicines under strict regulations and complex logistics. In this Build Project, you’ll act as an Industrial Engineer, solving real-world challenges with tools like Lean principles, Six Sigma, and data analytics.

Guided by an industry expert, you’ll learn to optimize supply chains, tackle inefficiencies, and gain skills essential for today’s dynamic biotech field. Build your expertise, solve impactful problems, and prepare for a future in one of the fastest-growing industries. Let’s innovate together!

law

legal-research, legal-analysis, case-law, statutory-application

Creating an Objective Legal Memo

Nkechi Nnachetta

and 1 more

Learn how to draft a legal memorandum like a lawyer, that showcases objective legal analysis and conclusions.

Law Fellow

There are two forms of writing most used within the legal industry: objective legal writing and persuasive legal writing. Whether in a law firm or in-house legal team, a necessary skill for all lawyers is the ability to draft an objective legal memorandum, in which a legal question is answered objectively, with all sides and possibilities looked at. In this Build Project, you will wear the hat of an entry level lawyer and will learn how to formulate a research strategy when presented with a legal question that needs answering, how to find and analyze the laws relevant to your search, and finally, how to write this analysis down for your legal or non-legal audience to understand.

physical-life-science

chromatography, spectroscopy, electromagnetic-radiation, molecular-weight

Drug Development Meets Physics

Irene Ingabire

and 1 more

This project explores the applications of physics in drug development, enhancing our understanding and effectiveness of drugs from molecular interactions to delivery and quality control.

Biophysics Fellow

Spectroscopy and spectrometry are indispensable analytical techniques in drug discovery, extensively used to analyze molecular structures, interactions, and concentrations at every stage of the process. Their ability to provide detailed qualitative and quantitative data makes them essential for developing safe and effective drugs.

In this Build Project, you will explore the physics principles behind these techniques and their real-world applications. You'll also read and analyze spectroscopy and spectrometry data. By the end of the project, you will be able to identify and present a real-life case study on their use in drug development. This project offers valuable, hands-on experience for students aiming for careers in biotechnology and drug development.

engineering

six-sigma, material-development, process-improvement, project-management, statistics

Six Sigma: Statistical Tool for Process Improvement

Kazutaka Ozawa

and 1 more

Understand Six sigma methodology for efficient material development

Chemical Engineering Fellow

Similarly to all the other industries, chemical engineering requires efficiency improvement. But, since the world is getting more and more complicated, it is getting more challenging to understand what the actual problem is, how we should communicate to align with team members, what tools should be used to monitor, and how we should fix it. Six Sigma is a methodology to solve these situations.

In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of Project Manager in the chemical engineering team, and utilize Six sigma tools to fix cases. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you'll

‍Learn about Six sigma methodology
Learn some of the statistical analysis methods
Analyze the results using case studies.

All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real (either product design or manufacturing process) team.

engineering

concrete-placement, civil-engineering, construction, quality-control

From Plans to Execution: Concrete Placement of a Berth Modernization

Sara Rodriguez

and 1 more

Design and execute a comprehensive plan for the construction and modernization of a berth, while mastering the critical techniques of concrete placement, from interpreting placement plans to ensuring durability and safety on real-world construction sites.

Civil Engineer Fellow

Concrete placement is one of the most fundamental processes in civil and marine construction, where precision and quality are key. In this Build Project, you'll step into the role of a field engineer, learning to prepare and execute concrete pours with a focus on safety and efficiency. Under the guidance of an experienced professional, you’ll gain hands-on experience tackling challenges such as managing environmental conditions and ensuring material quality. You will also explore the importance of curing methods and quality assurance practices. By working on real-world scenarios, this project equips you with industry-relevant skills critical for success in construction.

business

recipe-creation, food-production, packaging, storage-and-logistics, compliance

Prepare a New Food Product for its Commercialization

Zulma Yaneth Paredes Sanchez

and 1 more

Develop a comprehensive plan to produce at scale a food product of your choice.

Food Science Fellow

Every day, companies in the food sector must innovate with the creation of new products that adapt to the needs of consumers. This leads to rethinking healthy products, with specific nutritional characteristics. At the same time, companies need to keep production costs low, make packaging more ecological, and captivate consumers with engaging marketing.

In this Build Project, you are going to create a food product from scratch. Under the supervision of an experienced Food Scientist, you’ll select a food product to work on. You’ll then prepare a master recipe, and other documents required for the product’s mass production and distribution. You’ll learn the legal requirements and best practices to follow, like ABC Costing skills, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and the logistic model for its distribution.

🚨 Please note that this project is specifically designed for Spanish-speaking students. English terminology will be mentioned in group sessions and documents, but workshops will be held in Spanish.

law

venture-capital, investments, entrepreneurship, legal-frameworks, law, negotiation

Negotiating Investments in Start-Up Companies

Nir Nordan

and 1 more

Learn how lawyers can help start-ups raise funds and negotiate investment agreements. Discover how you can become a better negotiator and entrepreneur.

Law Fellow

Much of the innovation in today's world is done by Start-Up Companies, many of which are funded by Venture Capital investors. This project provides an introduction to the way lawyers, entrepreneurs, and VC investors negotiate investment agreements.

This project will guide you through the essential aspects of venture investments. Starting with basic terms and concepts, the project will progressively cover more complex topics such as different corporation types and investment vehicles. We will also learn how professional negotiators prepare for such complex negotiations.

The final workshops will involve hands-on mock negotiations, in which you will act as the legal representative of one of the parties to a venture capital investment, providing you with practical experience in applying your knowledge.

law

analytical-thinking, legal-research, legal-writing, oral-advocacy

Lawyering 101: Think, Talk and Write like a Lawyer

Arshiya Sharda

and 1 more

You will prepare briefs for a fictional dispute and participate in a trial simulation.

Law Fellow

Think of this Project as a day in the life (likely a month) of a lawyer. You will learn the basics of how the US Legal system operates, how laws are interpreted, how to analyse decisions of different US courts and how to apply this law to factual circumstances. You will acquire skills vital for a career in the legal profession such as analysis, research, legal writing and oral advocacy. You will then apply these skills to a fictional legal dispute, draft a legal brief and present these arguments in a trial simulation. These skills are helpful for those of you contemplating taking the LSATs. These skills would also benefit those of you considering careers in fields such as communications, business management and consultancy.

business

empathy, cultural-awareness, mental-health-awareness, workplace-wellbeing, leadership-skill

Trauma-Informed and Culturally-Proficient Leadership at Work

Lidya Tandayu

and 1 more

Introduction to trauma-informed and culturally-proficient leadership skills to promote positive work culture.

Psychology Fellow

The US consists of a diverse population where people are becoming more aware of the need for diversity, inclusion, and mental health proficiency across the job market. In this project, you will learn to identify, explain, and distinguish mental-health-informed leadership qualities that will be effective in nowadays workplace environments. You will present a report of case study analysis, where you get to utilize and apply the skills that you have learned in the previous weeks. The case study will be displaying trauma-informed and culturally proficient leadership skill.

Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you will develop skills that will showcase the ability to navigate interpersonal interactions through the lens of mental-health awareness. You will be equipped for challenges outside your own context of culture or identity development to provide a positive and effective work environment.

engineering

construction, critical-path-method, scheduling, project-controls

Demystifying Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling in Construction

Siddharth Chodavarapu

and 1 more

Develop a model Critical Path Method (CPM) schedule in Microsoft Excel for a typical highway or heavy civil construction project.

Civil Engineering Fellow

Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling is of immense importance today in the construction field and drives most construction planning and project controls processes. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Construction CPM scheduler/project controls professional. Schedulers and Project Controls professionals manage and monitor cost, schedule and risk on construction projects.

You will build a basic model construction CPM schedule for a typical highway or heavy civil construction project. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you'll become familiar with the industry standard CPM scheduling methodology. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real Project Controls or Scheduling team.

engineering

electrical-engineering, pysyst-simulation, engineering-project-finance-modeling, electric-load-and-power-flow-analysis, engineering-project-development

Developing Renewable Energy Project using Simulation Tools

Harshvardhan Gupta

and 1 more

Develop a project proposal that includes PVsyst and PVWatts simulation tools for plant sizing and energy calculations, along with Excel models for project financing.

Electrical Engineering Fellow

The need of the hour is to transition over to clean renewable energy for our electricity demand. With the climate change moving to an irreversible tipping point, both state and federal governments along with international authorities have introduced policies (administrative and monetary) to support the building and operations of renewable energy power plants. This opens many entry-level opportunities for firms that build, own, and operate these plants and are in constant need of engineers to support their mission and vision.

In this Build Project, you’ll wear the hat of an electrical engineer and develop and present a utility scale power plant project proposal. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you’ll run simulations on the project’s electrical output, showcasing the project’s electrical power and energy calculations, and would also provide cost and financing models. You’ll become familiar with industry tools like PVSyst, PVWatts, and Microsoft Excel, for project cost and finance. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real electrical engineering project development team.

physical-life-science

gene-editing, gene-therapy, next-generation-sequencing, assay-development, data-analysis

Deep Insight with Novel Next Generation Sequencing Assay

Malvenderjit Jagjit Singh

and 1 more

Strategize and spearhead the development of an assay aimed at determining the therapeutic potential for curing genetic disorders by leveraging novel generation sequencing approaches

Molecular Biology Fellow

RNA-seq has been selected as one of the most reliable assays in biotech research for studying gene expression level. In fact, this assay has emerged as a widely used technique for quantifying all gene expression levels. In this Build Project, you’ll imagine you assume the role of a research associate for a well-known company. They have decided to assign you the task of on boarding this assay with the purpose of investigating gene expression levels within the context of assessing the genetic tool your company has developed as part of curing genetic disorders. You will be exposed to common therapeutic approaches being conducted at molecular level and will dive deeper into different next generation sequencing technologies. These experiences represent the daily task of a research associate in the biotech industry and will be a good learning curve as part of your career development.

business

venture-capital, valuation-techniques, startups, entrepreneurship, portfolio-management

Venture Fund Investing: Aligning Founders and Institutional Investors

Nadia Koritareva

and 1 more

Develop an understanding of the fundamental principles that drive Venture Capital fund investing and get insights into ways to bridge the incentives gap between entrepreneurs and institutional investors.

Finance Fellow

Innovation is powered by funding yet the relationship between startup founders and investors is often marked by misaligned incentives and conflicting interests. Receiving funding from reputable Venture Capital (VC) firms is a strong positive signal of success for any entrepreneur, yet many founders could benefit from gaining a deeper understanding of what institutional VC investors look for when identifying their next big investment opportunity.

In this Build Project, you will put yourself in the position of a private institutional investor and analyze the performance factors of a successful venture portfolio, practice negotiating a term sheet, and develop an investment memo pitching a compelling startup investment opportunity to an Investment Committee. With the guidance of a professional with private institutional investing experience, you will calculate a venture portfolio’s performance metrics and practice identifying and pitching startup investments. You will master the fundamentals of key startup valuation metrics and portfolio management basics such as calculating pre-/post-money valuations, portfolio performance metrics, and others. This project will stimulate the operations of a venture capital firm and provide holistic insights into the skills both venture investors and founders need for success in the competitive venture ecosystem.

engineering

ipsc-derived-cell-therapy, process-development, bioreactor, flow-cytometry

Process Development: Driving Cell Therapy from Research to Market

Claire Wang

and 1 more

Exploring stem cell therapy with a focus on bioreactors and bioassays used for developing a scalable cell differentiation process.

Biomedical Engineering Fellow

Cell therapy refers to the transplantation of autologous or allogeneic cells into patients to treat diseases or repair damaged tissues. However, the gap between research-scale proof of concept and clinical patient doses is significant and multifaceted. This build project aims to explore key aspects of bridging the gap between R&D and clinical application in stem cell therapy, focusing on scalable/automated cell differentiation process development and cell-based analytical techniques.

You will delve into various types of bioreactors and close-system cell processing instruments, get exposed to different analytical techniques for cell phenotyping and drug efficacy assessment, and conduct an experimental proposal using the design of experiment (DoE) concept. The project will also introduce the drug commercialization process from the perspective of CMC (chemistry, manufacturing, controls) team. You will draft master batch records and raw material risk assessments, documents required for ensuring the drug consistent productivity and quality. This comprehensive project will equip you with practical skills in designing and scaling-up cell differentiation processes, applying advanced cell-based analytical techniques, and preparing documents related to therapeutics safety and regulatory compliance.

physical-life-science

biotechnology, business, medical-devices, data-visualization, market-analysis, competitive-analysis

Identifying the Best: Competitor Analysis for a Medical Device

Ariel Seidner

and 1 more

Compare key qualitative and quantitative characteristics of Adipose Tissue Filtering Devices produced by Tiger Aesthetic Medical and its competitors.

Material Science Fellow

By the end of the project, you will develop a PowerPoint presentation that provides an overview of key qualitative and quantitative parameters of a medical device as well as be able to explain these parameters in a way that adds business value and gives a company’s executive team strategic direction regarding a class of products in the reconstruction and aesthetic space. You will also develop skills to present these findings in visually concise and appealing way with the use of plots and graphics. All these skills are critical to any budding entrepreneur or new product development engineer!

business

yield-curve-construction, fixed-income-analysis, interest-rates, python

Bootstrapping a Treasury Yield Curve

Vinay Bharath

and 1 more

Master the method to derive precise interest rates for different maturities by leveraging financial modelling techniques.

Finance Fellow

In this Finance Modeling Project, you'll step into the shoes of a Quantitative Analyst and construct a Treasury Yield Curve from scratch. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you'll analyze market data and implement a mathematical model in Python to estimate term structures of interest rates. You'll become familiar with industry tools and methodologies for data manipulation and bootstrapping techniques for yield curve construction. All this will provide invaluable hands-on experience crucial for entry-level roles in finance, where proficiency in quantitative modeling and data analysis is highly valued.

engineering

acm-aluminum-composite-material, shop-drawings, autocad, metal-panel-fabrication

Create Aluminum Composite Material Panels Shop Drawings

Milica Rajlic

and 1 more

Learn step by step process of ACM (Aluminum Composite Material) panels fabrication with focus on Shop Drawings and sketches.

Architecture Fellow

The complexity of material usage represents a big challenge in architectural and engineering design and the overcoming of that challenge is a great advantage for those who achieve it. In this Build Project you will go through the process of Shop Drawings creation for the ACM scope of work and learn how the panels are sketched. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you will be able to draw details for specific conditions of the building, recommend the solutions for better material usage and choose which systems are the best for the specific design. Your Project Leader will provide you with insight into panel fabrication process while giving you the concrete knowledge applicable in this always evolving industry. This will happen in an environment that stimulates the operations of a real team that creates Shop Drawings.

business

python, financial-modeling, options

Develop a Tail Hedge Strategy with S&P 500

Nan Xie

and 1 more

Use Python and SQL to analyze performance of investment strategies and recommend the optimal strategy for minimizing extreme loss from market downturn.

Finance Fellow

Under the tangled global impacts from all directions, the turbulence of the current financial market makes it hard to predict and invest. At this moment, studying tail risk (known as the extreme loss from an asset or portfolio and represented at the left tail of the return distribution) and designing tail hedge strategies has become more critical to protect against severe market distress. In this project, you'll wear the hat of Financial Engineer and study tail hedge strategies as potential investment models for controlling significant drawdown risks. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you'll construct, implement and measure the performance of tail hedge strategies empirically using more than 15 years of index and option data. You'll also formulate your own opinion on the strategies’ behavior for the future potential market move and provide cost-effective recommendations for clients. You will use Pandas, Numpy and Matplotlib Python libraries to analyze strategies and build your own functions on selecting, exiting and entering option positions.

business

market-research, data-analysis, trend-analysis

Run User Research and Propose App Features to Develop

Akhil Ambani

and 1 more

Gather market data through surveys and focus group and prepare recommendations on how Fizz can launch new app features.

Market Research Fellow

Knowing how to conduct a market research is a very valuable skill for anyone who plans to work in the business industry, no matter what role you want to play. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Market Research Analyst and provide recommendations on how Fizz can enter the Online Marketplace app space specifically for Gen Z users. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you'll collect primary data using market research surveys and focus groups to understand the needs and wants of the customer base. You'll use secondary data like market reports from Statista to evaluate the importance of the trends emerged through the survey analysis. You'll become familiar with data collection, data analysis and trend spotting – and how these tasks can be performed in tools like Excel and Tableau. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real Market Research and Analysis team.