UVM’s Student Experience in Engineering Design (SEED) program recently received a $15,814 donation from the Goodrich Corporation, according to a press release issued by Goodrich.      The SEED project is organized through the College of Engineering and Mathematics (CEMS) to give seniors in the engineering department the opportunity to work with industry professionals, the CEMS website stated.   The Goodrich Corporation is an aerospace manufacturing company based out of Charlotte, N.C., with a local facility in Vergennes.   The donation was given on Oct. 31 when Goodrich hosted Governor Peter Shumlin and Mike Rosen at the Vergennes site to discuss the company’s aerospace and defense work and to present the check, the press release stated.   Rosen said that the benefits of the SEED project are the combination of both mechanical and electrical engineering and the unique way that it is financed.    “Engineering isn’t like most majors,” he said. “Students decide what particular field they want to focus on and they don’t engage or learn about other relevant fields of engineering. It’s unusual to combine students from both fields.”   The SEED Program is developed from outside sources, making it a valuable aspect of the Engineering department’s curriculum, Rosen said.   “The budget from this course comes from outside,” he said. “One of the companies that has supported the SEED project is IBM, which donated $20,000.”   Using the Goodrich Corporation as a model, Rosen stressed the importance of building relationships with other corporations.    “UVM waived the right to patent things for this course because they considered building these relationships important enough,” he said. “It helps UVM by setting the stage for what could be a long-standing relationship with these companies and the University.”   Rosen explained that part of the SEED program involves students interning at some of the very corporations that donate to the program.   “Seniors are much more likely to have jobs [by being involved in the program],” he said. “It’s essentially a nine-month interview. Kids have gone straight from school to one of these jobs.”   Sophomore Stephen Mayor said that he supports the direction that the SEED project is taking. “I have taken my share of engineering classes in my short time here,” he said. “I think it’s innovative that this program is combining both fields of mechanical and electrical [engineering], building up relationships with companies that could employ students [which is] amazing, especially considering the state of the economy.”