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Shocker Design Experience

A team of students presenting their prototype to a panel of judges

Start your college journey with a real-world impact. The Shocker Design Experience (SDX) is a unique, year-long program for first-year students from every major, sponsored by the WSU College of Engineering. In a two-semester project, you'll join a multidisciplinary team to tackle a meaningful challenge, develop an entrepreneurial mindset, and gain skills that will set you up for success in any career.

Fueling Tomorrow's Innovators

We couldn't run the Shocker Design Experience without the incredible support from our sponsors. We're proud to have Koch Industries as the lead sponsor of our program and of the Koch Innovation Challenge, as well as for our paid peer mentorship program, which provides upperclassmen with valuable applied learning experiences. A special thanks to Great Plains Ventures for sponsoring our classroom studio, named for their founder, Charles Peer, in the John Bardo Center. Their companies, Great Plains Industries (GPI) and Aerospace Systems and Components (ASC), also provide crucial funding for student projects, ensuring our students have the materials and tools needed to bring their ideas to life. A special thanks also goes to alumnus John Lovitt for his generous support, which provides essential classroom equipment for rapid prototyping and helps us teach students valuable teamwork and feedback skills.Their generous contributions not only make a significant impact on the student experience but also help us increase freshman retention, directly preparing our students for successful internships and careers. 

Two students posing with award.

Driving Persistence. Changing Outcomes.

The SDX program is a powerful driver of student success in the college. With 422 participants in 2024-2025, the program achieved an 80% freshman-to-sophomore retention rate. This is a significant outcome, as SDX participants persist at a rate 11 percentage points higher than non-participants, demonstrating the program’s essential role in improving retention.

Internship Spotlight: Our Students in the Field

Full Year Freshman Experience: Fall FYS + Spring Project

  • Step 1 - Enroll in our Fall FYS Course

    Fall FYS Course

    Take our First Year Seminar (FYS) course to learn about the inventions that made our modern world possible. You'll then experience the innovation process yourself using entrepreneurial mindset and the design thinking process, a human-centered design method for innovation that focuses on empathy as a way to understand the user and design to meet their needs. The FYS course is a prerequisite for the spring semester applied project. Open to students of all majors!

    Enroll in FYAP 102A Introduction to Technology & Innovation

  • Step 2 - Enroll in our Spring Applied Project

    Spring Applied Project Course

    Continue your work from the fall FYS in your spring semester in the applied project course, where your team can transform your ideas into a fully working prototype. We'll coach you on product development, protecting your intellectual property, and giving an elevator pitch to share your new product. Participate in the Koch Innovation Challenge, a fun innovation competition to earn applied experience credit or Engineering+ credit towards graduation. Open to students of all majors!

    Enroll in ENGR 102B Entrepreneurship & Innovation Applied Project

Faculty Leads

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Contact Us

Ask us questions! We would love the chance to talk with you about our program.

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