Page 43 - Technology and Innovation Journal - 19-1

Technology and Innovation, Vol. 19, pp. 381-388, 2017 ISSN 1949-8241 • E-ISSN 1949-825X
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.21300/19.1.2017.381
Copyright © 2017 National Academy of Inventors. www.technologyandinnovation.org

THE PHD INNOVATION PROGRAM AT THE
THAYER SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AT DARTMOUTH

Eric R. Fossum, Carolyn E. Fraser, and Joseph J. Helble
Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA

Dartmouth’s PhD Innovation Program at the Thayer School of Engineering is described. The
rationale, structure, and results to date for the program are discussed. Despite the program’s
youth and small size, significant success in better preparing engineering Ph.D. recipients to
engage in technology commercialization and enterprise building has been demonstrated and
a contribution to the nation’s technological and economic leadership established.
Key words: Engineering; Innovation; Enterprise; Entrepreneur; Ph.D.; Dartmouth

INTRODUCTION overall need for changes in engineering education
In 2005, Innovate America, a report from the to incorporate more open-ended problem-based
National Innovation Summit, was released by learning and foster skills needed for innovation and
the Council on Competitiveness (1). This report, entrepreneurship, their emphasis was generally on
authored by individuals drawn from the corporate undergraduate science and engineering education.
world, academia, and government, argued that for Discussion of graduate programs focused primarily
the U.S. to maintain technological and economic on the need for increased research and fellowship
leadership, a substantial investment in the devel- funding to encourage greater numbers of domestic
opment of a technically competent workforce was students to pursue advanced degrees in engineering
required. As the report articulates, nations that and science, yet a similar national need exists for
can provide conditions favorable to innovation Ph.D.-level students to develop skills in technology
and entrepreneurship, including a strong techni- innovation and enterprise creation.
cally-trained workforce, stable government, culture Engineering Ph.D. programs focus, appropri-
that accepts and rewards risk taking, and the avail- ately, on helping students develop the skills needed
ability of early-stage capital, are those most likely to conduct original research. Their structure,
to claim positions of leadership in the 21 century. emphasizing advanced coursework and publishable
st
While this report and others appearing at that time research, differs little from Ph.D. programs in the
(2,3) described the need for developing more engi- sciences. Similarly, some might argue that for many
neering talent within the U.S. and demonstrated an programs, “success” can be defined as placing top
_____________________
Accepted April 15, 2017.
Address correspondence to Eric R. Fossum, Ph.D., Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, 14 Engineering Drive, Hanover, NH 03894, USA.
Tel: +1 (603) 646-3486

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