Mark Parker is partnering with the Niagara Research department to help give his students real-world experience before graduation.

Parker, a professor in the International Business department, developed an Applied Research class for his students that would pair them with industry partners on a real applied research project.

To get the class started in the right direction, Parker approached Niagara Research, getting access to potential clients, a better understanding of the research process and input and feedback on how the students should be engaged.

Niagara Research also provided resources for the students’ projects, making the new aspect of the course much easier for the participants, said Parker. For the first trial of the project, students worked with Buffalo lawyer David Flynn, with the Phillips Lytle law firm.

Flynn, an expert in environmental law, had the participants research whether it was feasible for New York State to reach its mandate of having 30 per cent of all energy produced by alternative sources by 2015. The second part of the project determined what the best means would be to reach that target.

While the students found the task challenging, they also found it very useful, giving them that one-on-one experience with a client that only an applied research project could provide.

The team with the best report actually had their findings published in a journal that Flynn distributes to his clients, a big milestone for an endeavour in its first year, said Parker.