WHERE TO TAKE MY CAREER - A START-UP OR AN ESTABLISHED COMPANY? - MAY 17, 2012  (3pm-4pm EDT)

Entering the workforce  is a major concern for graduate students nationwide.  Researchers reaching the end of their graduate education are confronted with fundamental questions of how best to continue their careers into technological industry.  Should one attempt to start or join a small company based upon his/her research, or should one join the ranks of a large, multinational corporation with well-established practices and partnerships?

What are the benefits of each approach to furthering a burgeoning career?  What should graduating researchers consider about their own personal goals and interests before pursuing a career in either a large company or a startup?  

Please join our panel in exploring these topics and more in the third of our ongoing series of Innovation Webinars presented by the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (CSMC).

The distinguished panelists for this webinar are:

Dr. Stephen Meyers, Lead Engineer at Inpria Corporation

Stephen Meyers is an early employee of Inpria, a Corvallis, OR based start-up company focused on developing disruptive manufacturing technologies enabled by solution deposition of inexpensive and environmentally benign aqueous inks. Stephen is the architect of multiple dielectric, semiconductor, and resist materials within Inpria’s portfolio. He holds a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Oregon State University.

Dr. Alicyn Rhoades, Industrial Marketing Manager for Thermoplastic Urethanes, at Bayer MaterialScience, LLC (BMS)

Alicyn Rhoades’ responsibilities include product strategy development and implementation to optimize BMS product offerings and competitiveness. Prior to this position she was an Innovation Manager in the New Technologies/New Business group at BMS; a Research Commercialization Project Manager at the Pennsylvania Nanomaterials Commercialization Center; and, a Commercialization Leader with the University of Southern Mississippi's tech transfer organization.  She completed an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2006.

Dr. Judith Giordan, Partner in ecosVC and Senior Advisor to the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), moderates the panel.
In a career that has spanned 30 years, Dr. Giordan, the recipient of the 2010 Francis Garvin-John Olin medal of the American Chemical Society, has served in executive and leadership positions in R&D and operations at some of the world's top brands, including International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc., the Pepsi-Cola Company, and the Henkel Corporation.

Click here for more information on the CSMC Innovation Webinar Series and to view videos of past webinars.

February 2012

Did you miss the Innovation Webinar Judy moderated that was presented by the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (CSMC) at Oregon State University?  Fear not!  It was recorded and you can watch it below!

The basis for most ventures based on discoveries in science and engineering is their inventions—their intellectual property. And the importance of protecting intellectual property—these all important intangible assets—in an appropriate way becomes a key factor in the ability of any researcher to realize the translation of their research to a marketable product or service!

But how can research be protected? What are the options for protecting your intellectual property? What is the role of the Tech Transfer office in protecting and commercializing university IP? What are the roles of students, post docs and professors in this protection process? What are the similarities and differences in protecting intellectual property for new materials and their uses from other types of inventions?

Listen to Judy and our distinguished panelists take live audience questions on translating university research into market oriented innovations!

Panelists:

Dr. Mary Foley Phillips, Associate Director - Intellectual Property and Licensing, Oregon State University
Dr. Phillips is the Associate Director for the Office for Commercialization & Corporate Development at Oregon State University and responsible for overseeing the management of intellectual property and licensing of OSU inventions.

Stacey C. Slater, Partner, Klarquist Sparkman, LLP
Mr. Slater practices all aspects of intellectual property law, including patent, trademark, and copyright law. His primary experience is in patent prosecution in the mechanical arts, chemical arts and biotechnology; and preparation of U.S. and foreign applications related to pharmaceuticals, drug delivery and vaccines.

Dr. Judith Giordan, Partner in ecosVC and Senior Advisor to the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), was the panel moderator.
In a career that has spanned 30 years, Dr. Giordan, the recipient of the 2010 Francis Garvin-John Olin medal of the American Chemical Society, has served in executive and leadership positions in R&D and operations at some of the world's top brands, including International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc., the Pepsi-Cola Company, and the Henkel Corporation.

Funded through grants from the National Science Foundation and ONAMI, this FREE series is being developed in conjunction with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) and ecosVC with the aim of providing STEM graduate students, faculty and post docs with knowledge on the rewards and benefits of learning the language of innovation—and the skills to translate their research into solutions to the challenges facing people and the planet!  

For more information on the CSMC Seminar Series and to view videos of past webinars click here.