Geneva College is committed to living out service to God and neighbor, and to providing a high-quality education for all of its students. The Pinkerton Center for Technology Development (PCTD), is a resource that enriches the education of Engineering students while providing a service to companies in the community. The PCTD provides an opportunity for students to work alongside professors to create practical designs for regional and local companies. Some of the companies that have partnered with the PCTD in the past are Testmark, Brighton Automation, Radco, and Quaker Enterprises. The PCTD is a notable way for Geneva to support industrial partners in the local community and enrich the educational and practical experiences of Engineering students.
The PCTD was first developed after cooperation on projects with the former U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM). From 1986-89 the PCTD worked with the USBM to research and develop a computer-assisted design and engineering laboratory. It was this project that sparked the PCTD’s work with regional and local industrial partners. The PCTD has since been recognized as an excellent method of providing students with real-life application of what they learn in the classroom. The PCTD has received several awards and has been recognized by many organizations as a model for small colleges to support industrial businesses in their community. Geneva College students and faculty have partnered with over 80 companies, organizations, and entrepreneurs since the development of the PCTD.
Departments and programs involved with the PCTD include Biomedical, Business, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Math, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Technology Services (support role only). The PCTD allows a variety of opportunities for students to develop designs. Each project varies depending on the needs of the industry partner. Some of the categories that projects have included are Mechanism Design and Simulation, Test and Measurement Equipment Design, Robotics, Safety and Warning System, and there are many other categories of design work that the PCTD has involved.
Design projects are initiated when a company contacts PCTD and meets with faculty to discuss the project proposal. In some cases, the project is beyond the scope of the PCTD and can be referred to another university or resource. The projects that have the potential to be accomplished will lead to a meeting with a possible design team that will result in further specifications. When a project has been selected by the PCTD the design team (consisting of students, faculty, and staff), will meet periodically with their client to review progress and evaluate and problems or changes that arise during research and development.
The PCTD provides students with the opportunity to bring the factory to the classroom through industry-sponsored senior design and class projects, faculty research and consulting, and inviting industry experts as guest lecturers. It also brings the classroom to the factory by allowing plant tours, service-learning opportunities, and internships/independent studies. The PCTD is designed to encourage students 
to learn outside of the classroom and apply what they learn to real-life situations.
Professor William Barlow, one of the faculty members involved with the PCTD, says, “the strength of having the Pinkerton Center for Technology Development is that it is a win-win relationship between businesses and our students. The business can have ideas worked on that they do not have the bandwidth or the expertise to do and the students get real-world engineering experience working with real customers.”
Just as Professor Barlow said, this program is a win-win. The companies that the PCTD partners with benefit from engineering and technical support, and the students that work with these companies benefit from practical research and development experience. The Pinkerton Center for Technology Development has a huge impact on the surrounding community, and on the campus itself. Geneva College should take pride in its Engineering Department and the good work its students are doing in the community.
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