Jensen Hughes Awards $5,000 To Undergraduates in Entrepreneurship Course

Jensen Hughes, a global fire safety consulting firm, awarded a total of $5,000 to three undergraduate students based on their product pitches presented in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering’s (FPE) “Think Thank” course earlier this Spring.

The Maryland-based company, which consults in fire protection risk analysis, process safety and emergency management, among other domains, sponsors a course that trains undergraduates to apply critical thinking skills to business and engineering via an incentivizing student competition that takes place on the last day of class.

Throughout the semester, students work on a business proposal for a product that advances the FPE field alongside a Jensen Hughes mentor, who provides insight on the product or business’ practical application, market competency, suggested price point and technical advice on product design.

Participating students are expected to innovate, provide specifications of the product’s functionality, develop a business plan that outlines a clear need in the marketplace, identify a target market and make a profit estimate for their business idea. By the end of the semester, they present their 7–10 minute pitches to a panel of experts selected by Jensen Hughes in a Shark Tank fashion.

“I always enjoy teaching this class! It’s the only course in the FPE curriculum that combines the financial aspects of the business community with the technical aspects of engineering and product development,” said Clinical Professor Ken Isman. “I’m also very grateful for the dedication of Jensen Hughes to this class. Their commitment to providing guest lecturers, mentors, and a panel of experts for the final pitch session is invaluable. We couldn’t do this without their sponsorship.”

This year, the first place award went to Adam Brodsky ’26, winning $3,000 in cash, with a second place tie between Elliot Pasiner ’25 and Samantha Farren ’25, who both won a $1,000 award.

“The Think Tank experience gave me the opportunity to think about innovations within the FPE field. Having the guidance of knowledgeable professionals and the open-end format of the class really allowed me to explore my interests,” said Brodsky. “Presenting at Jensen Hughes to respected individuals in the field made me feel very valued within the fire protection community, and I am excited to see the future of the class!”

Learn more about the student pitches below.

Adam Brodsky ’26

First Place

The BlazeCommander: A fire extinguisher add-on that detects usage and provides users with verbal instructions in one of several pre-programmed languages.

Elliot Pasiner ’25

Second Place

The Fire Tracker by the EMPowering Fire Protection Company: A wearable tracking device for neuro-disabled children who lack appropriate response behaviors during fire alarms, who may run away from their group or hide in spaces that may not be safe during emergencies. This prototype would allow first responders, such as firefighters and law enforcement officials, to find and rescue these individuals during evacuation.

Samantha Farren ’25

Second Place

Raised In The Bays: Leadership Lessons From 'This New Generation:' As a firefighter, Farren saw a need for a leadership book that best reflected the experiences of underrepresented gender, race and ethnicity minority groups. She noticed that most published works in this subject were authored by caucasian males over the age of 40, and outlined a book that draws from her experiences as well as colleagues from diverse backgrounds. Her proposed book provides advice to firefighters of broad ages, races, genders, and service levels.