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Thayer School of Engineering
is preparing to train a new generation of technology leaders with the nation’s
first doctoral-level engineering Innovation Program. The program will provide
engineering Ph.D. candidates with the entrepreneurial training they need to
turn complex research discoveries into applied technologies.
Dartmouth recently filed a patent application based on the work of Ph.D.
candidate Yifeng Liao (in photo) and Professor of Engineering Ian Baker. Liao
and Baker have discovered a novel metal alloy with potential applications for
making a stronger alternative to stainless steel. (Photo by John Sherman)
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Beginning fall term 2008, students admitted to the program will learn the
process of technology innovation through a combination of coursework, project
work, an internship, and the opportunity to turn their engineering research in
an applied direction. They will be able to supplement their engineering studies
with courses in new venture creation, finance, accounting, patent law,
marketing, and organizational behavior, and will have the opportunity to
complete a three-to-six-month internship in a startup or other entrepreneurial
enterprise. Graduates will receive an innovation certificate in addition to
their Ph.D. degree.
The Innovation Program reflects Dartmouth’s commitment to serving humanity
through engineering and addresses the nation’s need for people with both
technical and entrepreneurial expertise. “Society needs more than technical
skill from engineering graduates today,” says Joseph
Helble, professor of engineering and dean of Thayer School. “We need
graduates with the ability to apply those skills to solve society’s most
pressing problems in critical areas such as energy, communications, the
environment, and medicine.”
The program was made possible, in part, by gifts from two Dartmouth
families. The William F. Holekamp ’70 family made a gift to the program, part
of which will establish the Holekamp Family Fellowship for doctoral candidates.
Program participants in the area of energy technologies will also be eligible
to apply for funding through a new Energy Challenge Initiative. Made possible
by the contribution of an anonymous alumnus and his family, it will provide
seed funds for research projects that address global climate change. Support
for the Energy Challenge Initiative will be awarded competitively. Applications
will be invited from students at all levels, as well as from faculty. Senior
honors students supported by the Energy Challenge Initiative will be known as
Sonnerup Fellows, in honor of Bengt
Sonnerup, the Sydney E. Junkins Professor of Engineering emeritus.
By CATHARINE LAMM
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