Dr. Michael Liu ’21 never expected to start his own company, but his research, mentors and ambition led him down the entrepreneurial path. By the time he earned his doctoral degree from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University in December 2021, Liu had already established his startup company, FreeFuse.
Liu came to Texas A&M in the fall of 2015 to pursue his master’s degree and went on to obtain his doctoral degree in materials science and engineering. Under the guidance of Dr. Mathew A. Kuttolamadom, associate professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, and affiliated faculty with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Liu learned how to use engineering principles to bring his creative and impactful ideas to fruition.
"Texas A&M provided the perfect balance of a supportive community and rigorous learning environment, which allowed me to flourish as a student entrepreneur,” said Liu. "The research experience I received from the materials science and engineering department, coupled with the entrepreneurial experiences I received from the Owlspark University Accelerator program and the McFerrin Center, truly shaped my development as a person. I can’t express how grateful I am for the opportunities I was presented with here.”
Liu’s research focuses on compositionally graded metals built using laser-engineered net shaping (LENS), an additive manufacturing device that primarily prints metals. Through his startup FreeFuse, Liu found an intersection between his own research and his desire to help others.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas A&M, like many universities, transitioned to remote and virtual learning. Students, professors, administrators and staff all had to quickly adjust the way information was being processed and presented.
Many professors began recording lectures and placing them online; however, these files were often long and hard to navigate. In turn, many students lost interest and focus without the in-person interactions present in traditional teaching. Liu recognized the need to address this issue and decided to use his experience with student teaching and helping students reach their learning objectives to develop a solution.
"My experience as a teaching assistant provided great insights into the types of problems students and educators both face within universities,” said Liu. "From this process, we developed a solution that transforms how students experience lectures through a simple, easy-to-use tool for educators.”
FreeFuse uses an algorithm, written by Liu, to quickly and accurately process video files and create interactive and visual link trees. These link trees break the video down into smaller bites of information, similar to a table of contents, and allow users to directly click and interact with the content in a new and customizable way.
"One of the most validating parts of this journey is the positive feedback we’ve received from students,” said Liu. "A student mentioned that the segmenting of videos made it easier to jump from topic to topic and gave insight on how concepts are connected to one overarching idea. I thought that was a really cool way to explain what we’re doing, so I’ve kept that quote in my mind ever since.”
Since graduation, Liu has continued to grow his startup, bringing on more employees and advisors. He is currently in the funding phase and hopes to expand the services FreeFuse currently offers.
"Without my time at Texas A&M, I would not have felt comfortable enough to expand my goals beyond engineering and find a true passion for entrepreneurship and solving the problems of others,” said Liu. "It’s the service mindset ingrained in the culture of the university that has really imprinted an eagerness to help people. Our company is built off those same principles of being bold and serving others. We hope to change the landscape of education for the better throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.”