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Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
We empower entrepreneurial thinkers—whether you’re launching a venture, building a family business, creating social impact, or driving innovation inside an organization. Turn ideas into action.
Start your entrepreneurial journey
At Central Michigan University, the Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship is more than a program—it’s where students from every major turn ideas into real impact. As Michigan’s first Department of Entrepreneurship, we’re a hub for hands-on learning, innovation, and mentorship.
Here, you’ll:
- Build an entrepreneurial mindset that sets you apart in any career path—launching ventures, shaping social missions, advancing family businesses, or driving innovation inside established companies.
- Collaborate across disciplines to create projects that matter.
- Learn from alumni, faculty, and industry leaders who’ve built their own paths.
- Gain real-world experience through workshops, hackathons, and pitch competitions.
- Compete in the New Venture Challenge, where students win up to $10,000 in cash and grants to grow their ideas.
Whether you want to start something new or transform what already exists, the Institute is your launchpad.
Take the next step!
When you’re ready to get started, stop by Grawn 164 to join the team or visit the Idea Den in Grawn 166—your space to brainstorm, build, and take the next step.
Questions?
Ezazul Haque Sabuz a graduate student in Engineering, researched corrosion resistance of 3D printed steel using thin film coating. In Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants, mechanical components can degrade because of corrosion caused by molten salts. The manufacturing of the components with conventional technology creates a lot of material waste and restricts design flexibility, so 3D printing is becoming more popular.
In Sabuz’s study, Titanium-Zirconium-Nitride (TiZrN) coating was added to 3D printed 8620 steel to test how it would react in an environment with nitrate salts. The coating improved the corrosion resistance of the steel, making coated 3D printed 8620 steel “an excellent candidate for application in CSP plants.”
Sabuz was inspired to research this topic due to the increase in global average temperature because of increased use of fossil fuel-based energy sources. Sabuz says, “Bangladesh, my home country, will be the most negatively impacted country by global warming. Adopting renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels can be crucial in slowing down the increase in global temperature.” His research addressed the issue of CSP plants facing corrosion limitations.
Sabuz’s research involved several experiments such as Potentiodynamic Polarization, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, high-temperature corrosion tests, X-ray Diffraction, and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Every experiment supported that the coating was successful in decreasing the corrosion rate.
Sabuz has received multiple offers from companies to begin working after graduation. He has also began working as a Design Engineer at an automotive company that develops electric trucks. He hopes to “continue learning in this arena for a sustainable future.”
This story is brought to you by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.