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technology as an example, she focused the bulk of her rewards of running your own company provide a
talk on the invention roadmap, which, she argued, balance, and his story has had a happy conclusion, as
must always start from problem awareness. In the case he is back at the helm of NP Photonics and running
of chip in a lab, traditional microfluidic systems have it as a successful company.
problems ranging from reliability and reusability to Jennifer L. West of Duke University addressed
cost and size. To get this technology into the hands of the foundations of innovation, noting that all inno-
user, Ligler’s team created an inexpensive, program- vations will become obsolete, the only thing eternal
mable disposable paper pump, which can be used being the need to replenish the stream of inventive
for various types of diagnostic and environmental minds. With that in mind, her talk centered on how
testing. To realize this vision, they followed a few to foster innovation in STEM students. West notes
simple rules: Have a vision, identify what you need to that we know the characteristics that we want to instill
know, find the people who know those things, share in our students: creativity, technical competency,
your vision and excite your team, and proceed to the courage, risk-taking, resilience, reflection, and col-
goal. laboration. How to do that effectively has always been
Nasser Peyghambarian of the University of Ari- the question, and West offers some potential answers.
zona brought balance to the commercialization First, mentors make a difference. For West herself,
conversation by bringing to the forefront some of Robert Langer and Jeffrey Hubbell were key in her
the negative aspects of the commercialization process. development as an innovator, the former helping her
While commercialization has value in its abilities to develop technical skills and find her path and the lat-
get ideas out to people, create money for the univer- ter providing her and other students with the freedom
sity, and energize the local economy, it also has its to try new and crazy ideas, understand that failure
downsides. Focusing on his own personal journey is ok, and learn that the benefit to society should be
with NP Photonics, Inc., Peyghambarian outlined an innovator’s main priority. Now, she is paying it
some of the challenges in bringing your technology forward by mentoring her own students, who have
to market as a university-affiliated entrepreneur. First, accumulated over 100 patents and eight start-ups.
funding poses a problem for start-ups. As he notes, Many of them have even become faculty members
“Cash is king,” but the amount and type of funding themselves and have joined West in training another
sought has wide-reaching implications. While not generation of innovators. In addition to mentorship,
raising enough money obviously inhibits growth West commends programs like the freshman design
opportunities, raising too much money brings its program at Rice, which engages students in solving
own ills. For example, if you go the route of angel real-world problems, models problem-solving tech-
investors and venture capital, your company is able niques, and emphasizes collaboration techniques.
to get started quickly, but it also becomes diluted, and Student spaces, such as the Foundry at Duke, foster
you lose control, something he faced with NP Pho- collaboration and arm students with the creative
tonics. Beyond funding challenges, entrepreneurship tools they need to take on real-world projects. Finally,
at universities can engender many conflicts of inter- funding, such as the Melissa & Doug Entrepreneurs
est, including financial conflicts with the university, program, helps students move those ideas and proto-
conflicts about student involvement in companies, types created through design classes or in university
and conflicts over equipment usage, among others. makerspaces into entrepreneurship opportunities for
Perhaps the greatest conflict for the entrepreneurial students.
faculty member is conflict of commitment, as starting In his keynote address, “A Random Walk into
a company takes time away from your teaching and Biotech,” H. Robert Horvitz of the Massachusetts
service obligations. Even the processes for dealing Institute of Technology (MIT) chronicled his jour-
with conflicts, such as management plans and conflict ney from being a pure basic research scientist to
of interest committees, can be time-consuming and becoming involved in the biotech entrepreneurial
cumbersome. Despite the hardships, Peyghambarian world and shared the important lessons he has drawn
notes that the excitement, energy, and potential from his extraordinary journey. Lesson 1: Don’t be