Director of Research Technologies and Innovation, David Ecker, is pleased to announce that Morgan Kelly will be taking on a new role as Student Manager this upcoming Spring 2016 semester. The current Student Manager, Samiha Shakil, will be training Morgan for this position.

Morgan Kelly, an undergraduate senior studying Technological Systems Management with a specialization in Mechanical Engineering first joined the staff in September of 2014. At that point in time, the Innovation Lab was not born yet. On the team, she was the Technical Assistant, and became one of the original student staff behind the creation of the Innovation Lab – from a concept to a recognized, functioning name, and location on campus. Previously, as her position title implies, Morgan has worked on the more technical aspects of the lab. She focused on 3-D printing and taught other students. As the new Student Manager, Morgan will become more integrated in other parts of the processes such as “the more original part of coming up with things”. From the first day, walking into her job interview not fully comprehending the job description she was going for, until where she has helped bring the Innovation Lab to now, she has been a fundamental part of the lab’s origins. She says, “It will be interesting to tweak everything after becoming a part of how it was first established”.

Samiha Shakil, also an undergraduate studying Engineering Sciences, is on her victory lap to her Bachelor’s at the end of this Fall 2015 semester. As a student staff member and current Student Manager of the Innovation Lab, Samiha has a contributed greatly in many positive ways towards the creation to the SBU Innovation Lab. She started working in the October 2014, primarily running various workshops with her love of teaching others.Also an original member of the students that breathed life in the Innovation Lab, Samiha has witnessed and been an active part of the lab’s rapid progress as the lab evolved from a plain room with a 4-person student staff to an inviting, fun space with over 15 students working this semester. On top of all the work that Samiha has contributed this semester with planning events and working with fellow student staff members, she has still continued to stay involved in the lab’s weekly workshops – her favorite part of her job. She shares that, “We only had one workshop a month last semester, and we hardly had any attendees, but this year we have one every week and we’re getting 40+ people attending!” Samiha is currently waiting on a few responses from manufacturing companies to confirm her plans for after graduation, and we thank her for all that she has done.

 In the picture above, Morgan Kelly (left) and Samiha Shakil (right) are speaking as the MC’s of Wolfie Tank 2015.