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NAI CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS 571

funding for research and outlined best practices support them in their development. It was clear that
for ensuring the success of both the industry and this process cannot be piecemeal, as one of the key
academic partners. Joining the moderator, Sethu- takeaways from the session was the importance of
raman Panchanathan of Arizona State University, a seamless integration of what students learn in the
were Gary B. Bronner, Andrew D. Hamilton, Terry classroom and what happens outside the classroom in
McGuire, and H. Keith Moo-Young. The panelists, making entrepreneurship a reality. That is, invention
who represented both industry and academia, noted has to be an embedded activity, one that connects
the great economic benefits generated by these part- their coursework and their out of class activities.
nerships, which go beyond the research funding for Of course, programs like these come at a cost, and
the academic institution or the profits for the cor- the panelists ended with a call for universities—in
poration and include job creation and the greater addition to curricular initiatives and extracurricular
economic impact on the region. Beyond economics, programs—to provide substantive financial support
panelists noted myriad additional benefits, includ- to encourage students to take on the challenge of
ing research and development (R&D) support for commercializing technology. The rewards will be well
industry, increased philanthropy for academic insti- worth it, as we will sustain our nation’s innovation
tutions, a better pipeline for students to move into capacity by developing the next wave of inventors.
the workforce, and educational opportunities for One key part of spurring innovation and inven-
industry executives, among others. The industry rep- tion is equipping students with the skills they need
resentatives saw a clear need to leverage the research to succeed in STEM majors and supporting them
power of universities in ways that fit both the compa- though graduation. In the session’s first presenta-
nies’ interests and the higher level of reproducibility tion, Isaiah M. Warner of Louisiana State University
required to translate a technology for customer use. (LSU) shared how LSU is supporting student learning
The university panelists saw these partnerships as through a combination of mentoring, education,
being beneficial to both students and faculty, as they and research through their Louisiana Science, Tech-
offer the opportunity to work on real-life problems, nology, Engineering, & Mathematics (LA-STEM)
create new models such as open innovation, and Research Scholars Program. In this program, students
better serve students, most of whom will move into learn study, metacognitive, group interaction, and
industry. Overall, both sides view these partnerships other skills, all of which have helped the program
as vital to the growth of industry and academic R&D. achieve impressive results in terms of graduation
rates and post-baccalaureate acceptances. Moreover,
SESSION B: ISSUES RELATING TO PUBLIC the program has enabled LSU to achieve success in
POLICY broadening diversity in STEM majors, a fact evi-
The second session began with a panel discussion dent in LSU’s first place ranking in the percentage of
on impacting society through invention and entre- chemistry doctorates awarded to women and under-
preneurship, hosted by AAAS-Lemelson Invention represented minorities.
Ambassadors. The moderator, Michael A. Smith John T. Schiller of the National Institutes of Health
of Intel Corporation, led a discussion with notable (NIH) shifted the conversation on invention beyond
inventors Karen J.L. Burg, Eric R. Fossum, and Ben- the halls of academia and corporate boardrooms
jamin S. Hsiao on how we can encourage students to include the government sector and showed how
to become inventors and tackle the many serious patenting works from the perspective of an NIH
real-life problems awaiting solutions. The panelists inventor. Focusing on his own work in the area of
opened by touching on the importance of providing vaccines to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV)
inspiration, experiential learning opportunities, and and other diseases, Schiller noted that NIH scien-
mentorship to effectively support students in the tists are not simply encouraged to patent but have
invention process. To become inventors, students a mandate to do so. All of NIH’s patents are based
need to see invention in action, have hands-on oppor- on a single criterion: Is it in the public health inter-
tunities to invent themselves, and have a guide to est? Given that patents are essential for getting their