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DARTMOUTH PHD INNOVATION PROGRAM 387

While ultimately the student’s dissertation must be CONCLUSIONS
examined and approved by the adviser and disser- Having celebrated its eighth birthday, the PhD
tation committee, the independence of some of the Innovation Program at Dartmouth’s Thayer School
Innovation Fellows can be disruptive to normal lab of Engineering has already been able to measure
culture and thus unnerving to the faculty adviser. significant successful outcomes in terms of inno-
Like all faculty, Dartmouth’s engineering faculty vation and entrepreneurship skill development and
are diverse in their opinions about most subjects intellectual property and new technology enterprise
except perhaps for the need for quality education generation from a relatively small group of PhD
for undergraduate and graduates alike in engineer- Innovation Program students. We believe that such
ing. The PhD Innovation program, while still in its
youth, has garnered a range of opinions from its training in innovation and enterprise is an important
faculty. While generally supportive, faculty who are step in sustaining and increasing technological and
highly focused on the academic track without much economic vibrancy in the U.S. and worldwide, and
exposure to industry are less convinced of the need there is evidence that other institutions agree. While
for such a program compared to those who have our program is young and continuously improving,
had some exposure to the commercial world. Some we feel we are on the right path for leadership at the
believe that all our engineering students should have forefront of future engineering education.
some minimum training in innovation and enter-
prise, a view held by many junior faculty members REFERENCES
interviewed at Dartmouth in the past few years and 1. Council on Competitiveness. Innovate Amer-
indicative of a possible change in thinking in the ica: National Innovation Initiative summit and
next generation of faculty. Engineering has always report. Washington (DC): Council on Compet-
been associated with the invention and application itiveness; 2005 [accessed 2016 Nov 20]. http://
of new technology for society in both public and www.compete.org/reports/all/202.
private sectors and often calls for the creation of new 2. Committee on the Engineer of 2020, Phase
enterprises. It is therefore important to communi- II, Committee on Engineering Education,
cate continuously the need and importance of such National Academy of Engineering. Educating
innovation and enterprise training for some of today’s the engineer of 2020: adapting engineering edu-
Ph.D. students. This is an ongoing process, and our cation to the new century. Washington (DC):
successful outcomes help cement the relevancy and National Academies Press; 2005 [accessed 2016
importance of the program. Nov 20]. https://www.nap.edu/catalog/11338/
An area of improvement for Dartmouth is in cre- educating-the-engineer-of-2020-adapting-en-
ating a larger pool of well-qualified applicants for
the program. Relative to most of its Ivy League and gineering-education-to-the.
other peer institutions, Dartmouth is a modest-sized 3. Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy
st
school, especially for graduate study, and the climate of the 21 Century: An Agenda for American
in northern New England is for those who relish Science and Technology, National Academy of
strong seasonal variety. Thus, the pool of students Sciences, National Academy of Engineering,
that are cognizant of our program and apply to Dart- Institute of Medicine. Rising above the gathering
mouth for graduate engineering study is growing but storm: energizing and employing America for
has not reached our targeted size. Our selectivity is a brighter economic future. Washington (DC):
currently about 15%. We need to better commu- The National Academies Press; 2007.
nicate our PhD Innovation Program to our feeder 4. Yoder BL. Engineering by the numbers.
schools and develop new feed paths for our program. Washington (DC): American Society for Engi-
We are also working on strategies to further engage neering Education; 2015 [accessed 2016 Nov 20].
women to grow our applicant pool and increase the https://www.asee.org/papers-and-publications/
percentage of women in the program nearer to the publications/college-profiles/15Engineering-
fifty percent level we have recently seen among our bytheNumbersPart1.pdf. According to the 2015
undergraduate engineering degree program students. statistics, there were 11,702 doctoral degrees