News and Events > TTO in the Classroom

TTO in the Classroom

September 14, 2005

by Kimberly Merryman, Student Assistant, BA English/Classics '06

While Technology Transfer Office staff members are always working with CU faculty members in pursuit of innovation and invention, it is ever important to cultivate the spirit of education that drives the university. Accordingly, the TTO constantly strives to maintain a cooperative relationship with CU students. Through their mutual involvement, not only do both benefit, but so in turn do the scientific and business communities.

TTO contributes to the education of the student body through several approaches. In the two-term Mechanical Engineering Senior Design course, developed six years ago by Professor Jack Zable, students execute design projects with the ultimate goal being to bring a product from the concept stage to the fully functional prototype stage. Approximately 80% of the projects come from industry. Student teams work on projects from companies like HP, IBM, Agilent Technologies, Ball Corporation, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing, to create test equipment, manufacturing process improvements, product improvements, or advanced technology investigations. Many students choose to work with business students on entrepreneurial projects, creating and designing their own products to sell in the marketplace. Additionally, this year for the first time students will work on projects from the Technology Transfer Office. Three of this year's 27 projects come from TTO technologies from the CU's Health Sciences Center. Students will create working prototypes for HSC research professors' ideas.

TTO staff members are also involved in this course through guest lecture and guidance. Liza Eschbach, a licensing associate in the Boulder office, and Kristin Diamond, a member of the University Counsel's Office who is housed in the TTO, will present to the class for the second time this fall, discussing the basics of Intellectual Property and giving an overview of how the Technology Transfer works within the university setting. Ms. Eschbach also contributes her expertise by providing guidance through the patenting process and drafting the provisional patent application if any of the student teams wish to patent their product. This is an invaluable course for the students and for industry. Students get real-world experience in their field, and many are hired by the company whose project they execute, while the company gets a functioning, often saleable product and a chance to recruit new graduates.

TTO is also involved in an Entrepreneurial Law course. Second- and third-year law students will be paired with various clients to represent and advise them regarding their business needs. This semester students will be helping to draft a license agreement for a client who wants to license his patent to another business; giving contractual advice, drafting non-disclosure, work for hire, and employment agreements for another client; and helping another to start an LLC by drafting organizational documents and licensing agreements. Also, students will be representing professors in forming a start-up company in negotiations with the TTO. Furthermore, students work with CTEK Angels each month to conduct a legal due diligence on a company of interest to the Angels. They will identify legal issues and problems with the company, explain their business risk to the investors, and give the results to the Angels to aid their decision-making.

The Leeds Business School course, Business Plan Execution, taught by Frank Moyes and offered to undergraduate business students and MBA students alike, is a course designed to give students the experience of writing a business plan, and possibly to start their own business if they wish to do so. Students work in teams to implement the plan and present it at a national competition. Teams improve their plans through stages including an initial appraisal, a presentation to their Board of Advisors (made up of businessperson from industry and the community and a faculty member), a presentation to industry experts, and a final presentation to investors. At the end of the course, some students turn their plan into an actual business. Examples of past successes include Roving Planet, a provider of wireless LAN management and security software solutions; and Nutballz, Inc., an organic snack food company. TTO advises teams throughout the semester and helps by writing feasibility plans.

Technology Transfer and Biotechnology, is a course based at the Colorado Springs campus, but offered to all campuses through the interactive Blackboard program. This course, offered through the Biology department, is intended to inform students about the process of technology transfer, from discovery to commercialization. Student teams are presented with a problem associated with a research discovery or invention and given the task of finding solutions to the problem and finally, bringing the technology to hypothetical commercialization. Community experts in the fields of law, science, and business, lecture to the class, guiding them through the process. This fall David Allen, TTO's Associate Vice President of Technology Transfer, provided the class with an overview of the technology transfer process and its role in the University. Tom Smerdon, the Director of New Business Development, spoke to the class about business opportunities based on academic discoveries and inventions.

The collaborative relationship between the TTO and CU students gives the community and industry new ideas and products, provides the students with important real-world experience, and helps to prepare the future generation of those involved in technology transfer. The TTO staff enjoy and benefit from working with students and look forward to the opportunities to do so this coming school year.