Article
January 15, 2026
Written by Sydney Kern
Mission: Innovation — UNC Students Take NASA Technology to New Frontiers
Two courses in the Monfort College of Business will offer students hands-on experience with NASA technology and learn how to apply it to everyday life
This spring, students in a variety of majors from across campus will launch into the world of NASA innovation, gaining access to space-age technologies and transforming them into real-world commercial applications. The program is called NASA Technology Transfer University (T2U) and will be incorporated into two classes offered by the Monfort College of Business (MCB) – Managing New Business Ventures (BAMG 451) and Fundamentals of Project Management (BACS 385).
“This program will give our students a significant leg up when they graduate and look to begin their careers,” said Steve Elias, Ph.D., dean of MCB.
Elias already knows the benefits of bringing NASA technology into the classroom. Similar to how he is spearheading this initiative at UNC, he did the same at Fort Lewis College, his former institution in Durango – the only other Colorado institution of higher education taking advantage of T2U.
“It is successful there, and I know we can be just as successful at UNC given the size of our business community and proximity to other businesses along the Front Range,” Elias said. “Business leaders will hopefully look at what we’re doing in the program and say, ‘wow, these are skills that we would want in the employees that we are recruiting.’”
The goal for NASA in partnering with colleges and universities is to find new ways to develop and use their technologies in the marketplace. Through the T2U program, students have access to 1,600 NASA patents across a massive span of technologies in categories like medicine, environment, screening, manufacturing and more.
The students form teams, select a NASA technology early in the semester, and then work step-by-step toward developing a funding-ready business plan and commercialization strategy for their reimagined product. The course ends with a pitch presentation to audience members, including NASA representatives and local business professionals.
“We found that oftentimes, the students are more creative when it comes to ideating on translating intellectual property,” said Walt Ugalde, T2U industry and entrepreneurial engagement lead. “So, we get a lot out of it because the students come up with really, really, off-the-wall, novel ideas.”
Some examples of how NASA technology has made its way into everyday life include a material originally tested for spacesuits that is now used to keep people sweat-free in cushion covers and bedding; an air quality sensor built to fight moon dust is helping firefighters measure dangerous forest-fire emissions in real-time; and NASA research is being used to manufacture ski-goggle lenses to optimize visibility on the slopes.
“The opportunities are endless for our students given NASA will help them with licensing, and local business community members want to be involved in the program however they can,” Elias said. “I have no doubt T2U will help our students grow their skill portfolio to help kickstart their careers or even launch a business of their own based on a technology spinoff.”
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Dalong Ma, Ph.D., teaches Managing New Business Ventures, which is one of the two courses participating in the T2U program. It’s a smaller, capstone-style course with 10 students enrolled.
“I’m super excited for my students to get this experience,” Ma said. “The T2U program is a rare opportunity for students to work with real, federally developed technologies rather than hypothetical ideas. The T2U program turns the class into a true incubator experience, which aligns perfectly with how entrepreneurship should be taught.”
During the course, Ma says his students will gain hands-on experience in technology evaluation, customer discovery, business model development, IP strategy and commercialization planning. His students are already expressing enthusiasm for the upcoming coursework, and Ma says this course will dramatically shorten the gap between classroom learning and real-world innovation.
“My students will be able to interact directly with NASA experts and learn how licensing works, which is a skill that is highly transferable whether they pursue startups, corporate innovation or consulting,” Ma said. “I believe this will increase motivation, engagement and creativity in the classroom.”
Similarly, Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems, Moe Manshad, Ph.D., noticed a shift in his 30 students when he told them they would be one of two courses using NASA technologies.
“They know the job market is tough, and this will give them an edge,” Manshad said.
In his management class, he is going to have his students use the NASA patents and transform them into an AI-powered concept.
“We are living through a massive shift in the technology industry, and AI is transforming how software gets built, making the job market for IT professionals tighten significantly,” Manshad said. “Our students are entering a more competitive landscape than any graduating class before them. So, when an opportunity like this comes along, you grab it.”
“When one of our graduates sits across from a hiring manager and says, ‘I worked on a NASA patent,’ that is a differentiator. That is the kind of experience that makes employers pay attention.” – Moe Manshad, Ph.D.
While this is the first semester students are exploring the out-of-this-world advancements, Elias hopes the program will continue to grow each year. Not only in the varieties of students enrolling in the courses — from graphic design to accounting and engineering — but also in discovering ways the community can get involved.
“I would love it if we could have industry folks interact with our students at some level a couple of times during the semester to have students bounce ideas off of them, make a pitch at the end and get their thoughts on their product,” Elias said.
Economic Development Director for the City of Greeley, Derrek Jerred, echoes that this program provides the opportunity to engage local manufacturers and businesses in Greeley to help solve challenges in various industries.
“Whether it’s taking a NASA solution and applying it to agriculture, energy extraction or even medical uses, especially with the new UNC College of Osteopathic Medicine, there’s a lot of potential when you bring the right people to the table,” Jerred said.
In the end, alongside the students, Jerred says Greeley business owners will be the ones benefiting from the collaboration.
“Greeley has a strong mix of companies with real capabilities that are worth tapping into to help students turn ideas into solutions, especially when it comes to manufacturing, technical expertise and supply chain support,” Jerred said. “It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
