Having led sponsored research at several of the top design and engineering schools in the country, I agree with half of what you are saying [about using student designers] ("Smart Moves," January), but the other half is deeply misleading and could put your readers in dangerous territory.

I am a champion of using student designers, but only when the goal is to find inspiration and to identify talent.

In working with students, my experience is that they have trouble staying focused, are inefficient and rarely provide feasible solutions. While student designers work extremely hard, their lack of experience makes it difficult for them to do relevant work--they have a ...