New Peery Social Entrepreneurship Research Fellows Announced

Chris Mattson, a BYU mechanical engineering assistant professor.PROVO, Utah – Aug 2, 2012 – The Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance has named Brigham Young University professors Chris Mattson and David Wiley as research fellows in the Peery Social Entrepreneurship program. As fellows, Mattson and Wiley will apply their expertise in research and innovations within the field of social entrepreneurship.

“Chris and David bring great rigor and innovative research to their respective fields,” says Todd Manwaring, managing director of the Ballard Center. “We are excited for them to join our team at the Ballard Center.”

Mattson, a mechanical engineering assistant professor, is creating methods that engineers can use to design low-cost products for individuals living in poverty. He is also faculty director of BYU’s Design Exploration Research Group, where he leads initiatives to improve the impact of engineering design on the developing world. The partnership between the Ballard Center and Mattson will allow his method to expand beyond the engineering field.

“Our hope is to more fully connect traditionally trained engineers with opportunities to positively impact the developing world,” Mattson says. “As soon as engineers start working with venture capitalists, policy makers or entrepreneurs, then the engineering efforts will become more widespread.”

David Wiley, a BYU associate professor of instructional psychology and technology.Wiley is an associate professor of instructional psychology and technology and director of Open Education Group, the McKay School of Education’s research organization. Wiley’s charge has been to harness technology to deliver free universal education to everyone. Through his work he has molded educational reform by providing open content and educational resources for informal online learning communities.

“My goal is to provide free and open access to high-quality learning opportunities for every person on the planet,” Wiley says. “I think very critically about what people do better than technology, and what technology does better than people. I can take that understanding and configure a system optimized to drive costs down and quality up.”

The Peery Social Entrepreneurship Program works with individuals who are innovators in their respective fields. Other fellows include entrepreneurs such as Jason Fairbourne and Robert Jensen.

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.