EI’s Building America program fosters creativity, problem solving

Our distinctive co-curricular programs provide students opportunities to expand knowledge and develop enduring skills for real-world application.

The Eisenhower Institute’s Building America program offers opportunities for students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world issues related to domestic policy. Since launching last year, Gettysburg College students have analyzed federal school spending, designed new housing initiatives, pitched business ideas to investors, and tracked pollution caused by transportation.

Last fall, nine students took part in the program’s “Economic Transformation Through STEM Innovation” seminar, which looked at the profound impact of science and technology on economic development across the world, from the United States to India and Singapore. They analyzed innovation ecosystems and their governance mechanisms, and gained first-hand experience from industry experts and entrepreneurs, such as Walter Copan, former Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and current Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer at Colorado School of Mines.

“The program went far beyond my expectations as I not only learned about the fintech industry and talked to a lot of leading experts in STEM start-ups, but also expanded my knowledge about the start-up ecosystem in the U.S. and other countries such as India, Singapore, Bangladesh, and my home country Vietnam,” said mathematical economics major Sunny Ho ’27.

Sanij Shrestha ’26 and Sunny Ho ’27 deliver their proposal to a panel of business professionals
Sanij Shrestha ’26 and Sunny Ho ’27 present their proposal to a group of business professionals.

Skye Lawrence, co-founder of climate fintech platform Ampere—a venture-backed startup—oversaw the semester-long program, which included six sessions from early September through late November. Lawrence, who previously worked for the American Enterprise Institute before founding Ampere in 2022, taught and researched negotiation at Harvard Business School and was a past presenter at EI’s Lunch and Learn series.

Students participating in the program included majors from business organizations, and management, computer science, economics, international global studies, and mathematical economics. They represent five different countries: Bangladesh, Madagascar, Nepal, the United States, and Vietnam. Despite taking full academic course loads, the students made an early impression on Lawrence with their passion for learning.

“What struck me the most about them was their willingness to ask great questions and dig into the heart of the subjects we discussed,” Lawrence noted. “I was impressed with their commitment to digging into some of the real work issues and topics, and relating them to their home countries, states, and regions.”

In addition to the seminar sessions, students took a daytrip to the University Maryland, College Park, in September to discuss the historical significance and contemporary impact of land-grant universities toward technological innovation. While there, Gettysburg’s students connected with the engineering school’s technology transfer team to learn how they are helping to turn start-ups into businesses and industries.

Gettysburg students pose with local business leaders after their final presentations in the Building America program.
Gettysburg students stand alongside local business leaders following their final presentations in the Building America program.

Closing the semester with final presentations, students applied communication, creativity, and critical thinking to solve real-world issues. In pairs, they presented pitches for venture-scalable businesses to a group of industry leaders and experts, including Ampere Co-Founder Krishna Matturi, Adams Economics Alliance President Robin Fitzpatrick, the Alliance’s Director of Business Community Outreach Brady Rogers, Enduring Planet Co-Founder Erin Davis, and EI Executive Director Tracie Potts.

“Preparing a pitch deck for a client or potential investor, and answering tough questions about whether your proposal is viable, is what successful entrepreneurs do every day,” Potts said. “Our students are doing this now, led and supported by business leaders like Skye who help them build career skills that employers love. This kind of applied knowledge gives our students a competitive advantage in the workplace.”

Presentation topics ranged from the food and health industries to architecture and clothing. Ho and business partner Sanij Shrestha ’26, a computer science major, pitched an application called Skinalytics, which uses AI to help scan and analyze the user’s skin problems and come up with suitable skincare products that meet user-specified variables, such as allergies and price. Ho plans to continue the development of Skinalytics through the Gettysburg College Entrepreneurial Fellowship as she builds toward her own professional career after graduation.


“I love how the sessions allowed me to expand my horizons, my creativity, and my skills in order to build an innovative product that might contribute to the development of the beauty and healthcare industry,” said Ho. “This program reaffirmed my aspiration to work in the fintech industry and create innovative technological tools for business."

The Eisenhower Institute empowers young leaders to tackle society’s most challenging public policy issues in real-time.

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By Corey Jewart
Photos courtesy of the Eisenhower Institute
Posted: 02/05/25

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