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686 MERCIER, RANJIT & REARDON

of a provisional patent application and formation of fields. Universities have made heavy investments to
partnerships). include STEM in their curricula and programs, but
Faculty members have the obligation to meet research has shown that women, despite making con-
teaching and research responsibilities required tributions in almost half the jobs of the U.S. economy
by their institutions, which are often set forth in and being awarded 50% of Ph.D. degrees in the area
university policies. To fulfill their research obli- of biology in the U.S., filled less than a quarter of jobs
gations, faculty members seek funds from outside in STEM fields in 2009 (6). To recruit and retain more
the university to support their laboratories and pay women into STEM roles, universities have launched
personnel. Many academic grants notably come programs to create environments that integrate
from government sources but can also be received women faculty members and students into these ste-
from private foundations or corporate sponsors. As reotypically masculine fields and to actively dissolve
such, a majority of faculty time can be spent drafting any biases, whether implicit or explicit (7). In fact,
and submitting applications for funding. Successful the National Science Foundation (NSF) recognized
attainment of research funding is only one key factor the need to improve the diversity of the scientific
of a faculty member seeking to achieve tenure. Other workforce and implemented ADVANCE grants for
factors can include publications in peer-reviewed increasing the representation and advancement of
journals, high teaching marks, student advisement, women in the fields of science and engineering by
and university committee work (1,2). Though many removing organizational barriers and strengthening
groups support the use of patent and commercial- gender equity (8).
ization activities as contributors in the consideration However, bias in STEM continues to impede com-
of tenure and promotion, most universities still do mercialization pathways for female faculty members
not consider these activities when evaluating tenure (9). Women are involved to a far lesser extent in
packages (3,4). Therefore, unlike industry scientists, academic commercialization than are male faculty
the responsibility of patenting and commercialization (10-12) despite the fact that the quality of female
falls outside of a faculty member’s core obligations faculty members’ publications (13,14) and patents
to the university and, therefore, is considered as an (15) are consistent with their male counterparts
extracurricular activity. The process of patent pro- and despite the fact that their disclosures or patents
tection and licensing, which collectively involves are equally likely to become commercialized (16)
working with attorneys and the TTO, as well as or assigned to an entity capable of commercializa-
selecting and speaking to potential partners, is not tion (17).Therefore, academic environments that
only distinct from the trained skill set of a faculty encourage and support women and their efforts in
member but also constitutes a commitment to a long commercializing research will benefit not only the
and time-consuming process. Faculty who participate institutions and the female innovators themselves
in the commercialization of their laboratory research but also have more potential to create societal and
typically do so because they passionately believe that economic impact.
their new discovery can somehow beneficially impact Education of faculty members around commer-
society or believe they will benefit personally, profes- cialization has been accomplished at universities
sionally, or financially (5). TTOs, therefore, attempt to often through their TTOs. In fact, most TTOs have
provide a level of customer service that enables their regular programming for inventors and would-be
faculty populations to engage in technology trans- inventors at faculty meetings, departmental seminars,
fer activities alongside their research and teaching open forums, etc., that is aimed at understanding
careers. the process, opportunities, and benefits of commer-
Academic institutions are realizing that culture cializing academic work. Despite the regular efforts
and environment can nurture and encourage iden- of the TTOs, the fact that female faculty members
tification of ideas and innovations that can have a have been found less likely to submit an invention
positive impact on society and the economy, and disclosure by 35% to 40% (11,12) is problematic and
many of these innovations derive from STEM-related perhaps suggests that technology transfer efforts to