Invention Education for Undergraduate Students Is Fueling Innovation

Christopher Rogers, PhD
Associate Professor of Sociology
Scramento State

Invention plays a pivotal role in fostering a diverse Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce by providing a platform for creative problem-solving and teamwork that draws on knowledge and skills that transcend the boundaries of singular disciplines. Many educators across the U.S. are working to prepare students for these types of collaborative problem-finding and problem-solving efforts through a teaching pedagogy referred to as invention education (IvE).

Collaborators recognize that invention is a key driver of social and technological progress and keenly understand the lack of diversity among U.S. inventors and patent holders in terms of gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Invention Education for Undergraduate Students (IvEUS) aims to advance IvE pedagogy and assess its potential for activating untapped human potential; new technological solutions could be generated by diversifying those who engage in invention, intellectual property (IP) protection, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and receive a U.S. patent. IvEUS in collaboration with Lemelson MIT Program (LMIT) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the College of Engineering & Computer Science, the College of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), and the CSU Chancellor’s Office (CSUCO), gives CSUS students opportunities to apply knowledge and practices from different disciplines to the identification and development of technological solutions to authentic ill-defined real-world problems faced by people in the local community.

IvEUS, a unique and transformative initiative, is dedicated to advancing equity, innovation, and opportunity in STEM and social science education, IP, and entrepreneurship. By establishing IvEUS, CSUS aims to expand the potential of transdisciplinary education to impact students, including women and people of color at various levels of analysis and assessment. IvEUS plays a crucial role in promoting diversity in STEM fields, facilitating the development of solutions to global challenges, and supporting economic mobility for historically marginalized populations through the process of inventing, filing a provisional patent application, getting pro bono legal support to file and prosecute a nonprovisional (formal) patent application, and, one day, being granted a U.S. patent owned by the students. As such, IvEUS positions CSUS as a leader in inclusive and experiential learning while equipping students with (a) STEM skills and concepts, (b) qualitative methodological approaches, (c) entrepreneurial mindsets, and (d) IP knowledge through community-based design processes and problem-solving.

IvEUS offers the chance to increase diversity in STEM enrollment and retention by aligning their passions in social science with STEM-driven pathways. IvEUS ensures undergraduates will gain practical tools that are transferable to multiple career options by developing applicational skills across academic disciplines through a transdisciplinary approach. More specifically, by positioning transdisciplinary education as a necessary pathway forward, IvEUS is instrumental in developing STEM-oriented and non-STEM students, thereby contributing to a more diverse and inclusive society. Such a process can help close the educational and economic gaps by allowing women and minority groups to obtain skills and training that promote upward mobility and reduce social and economic disparities.