It is something many have heard of, but few understand.
This past fall, a group of Marquette University faculty and students attempted to take away the cloak of mystery surrounding Blockchain technology with the aptly named Marquette Blockchain Lab.
“There’s quite a bit of buzz, but very little execution,” said Doug Fisher, an assistant professor of supply chain management at Marquette. “Companies are increasingly leaning in, and quite a few are interested.”
Fischer, who also serves as the director of Marquette’s Center for Supply Chain Management, has also played a role in launching the lab.
Currently, Davis Macklin, a senior in Marquette’s college of engineering, is helping shepherd the half-year-old program before he graduates from the university in December.
The goal, Macklin said, is to have a go-to source for Blockchain-related innovation in the Milwaukee area, rather than have entrepreneurs and other like-minded persons work in their own silos.
“Milwaukee has lacked a de facto leader in the Blockchain space,” Macklin said, pointing to the inspiration behind the lab’s establishment. “People have been doing different things. This helps facilitate collaboration.”
Fischer said the lab can play an important role locally in fostering innovation and collaboration across a range of industries. A growing number of companies, he pointed out, are tinkering with the idea of using Blockchain to improve logistics.
“(The lab) is a place where you can try something and see what happens,” Fischer said. “(Blockchain) really is still in its formative stages. There’s a lot going on right now behind the scenes.”
While a lab offers a safety net, truly understanding the ins and outs of Blockchain and its capabilities is fundamental in a real-world setting, Fischer said.
“If you don’t understand it, I’d say there’s a fair amount of risk,” he said.
Prior to the lab’s launch last fall, Macklin worked with other people on campus to help bring it to fruition, including Heather Sullivan, who until recently served as Marquette’s associate director of external relations. Sullivan has since departed the lab and university to focus on her marketing firm.
Fischer said Sullivan played a pivotal role in getting the lab up and running — and spreading the word to the broader community.
“She really did a good job with the foundational work,” Sullivan said. “We’re off to a fairly strong start.”
In a statement, Sullivan said she has been inspired by the reception the lab has received in its infancy.
“The amount of support for this initiative has been unprecedented,” Sullivan said. “The opportunity to lead this initiative and help create the vision for the lab has been an incredible one, and I am forever grateful.”
As Macklin takes the reins of the lab through the duration of 2018, he said his goal is to continue expanding the lab’s influence — within and beyond Marquette’s campus boundaries. The program is geared toward students, industry leaders and Milwaukee’s entire Blockchain community.
Macklin, who also co-runs the Blockchain consulting company Euphrates with business partner Alec Shaw, said his goal is to continue laying the groundwork for the lab before he departs the Marquette campus.
“Basically, we’re trying to set it up, and then get out of the way,” Macklin said.
