As we all get ready to head out to sunny Anaheim, California next month to attend the AUTM 2012 Annual Meeting (March 14-17, 2012), I looked back at my
blog post from last year, when we were getting ready to launch the first ever Freshman Orientation session at AUTM 2011 in Las Vegas. That first session was well attended and it generated a lot of positive feedback from participants. We are now gearing up to run another Freshman Orientation networking session at the 2012 meeting—this social event should be of interest to both those who are joining us for the first time at an AUTM conference as well as for those individuals who are returning to the AUTM fold after a hiatus of a few years.
Whether you are a tech transfer novice (less than two years of on-the-job experience) or are a veteran of the field returning after a break there will be something for everyone at this year's Annual Meeting. As always the conference is a fantastic venue for networking with colleagues from around the world and for engaging in a wide range of professional development activities. In addition to the usual array of educational opportunities (courses, workshops, special interest groups (SIGs), plenary talks, etc.) this year’s conference will feature several high-impact special events:
AUTM/LES Joint Programming, 1:30 – 5 p.m., Wed., March 14: This year's meeting features a joint session with attendees from the Licensing Executives Society (LES) Winter Meeting from. The joint AUTM-LES session will include Alan Bentley and Bob MacWright’s famously entertaining and informative “Licensing Dirty Tricks” as well as a mock oral arguments session which will be presided over by Honorable Randall Rader, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Freshman Orientation, 5 – 6 p.m. Wed., March 14: The goal of the Freshman Orientation event is to help guide first time attendees through the (sometimes overwhelming) wealth of offerings at the Annual Meeting. The orientation is scheduled to take place on Wednesday evening March 14 from 5-6PM (Grand Salon G/H). This event is once again being sponsored by the Schwegman Lundberg and Woessner Law Firm. During the orientation, “senior” AUTM members will provide a quick overview of the conference program and underscore specific educational and networking opportunities, forums, receptions and other meeting highlights and special events. AUTM’s partnering software, Collaborate, will be demoed, and the benefits of AUTM membership will be discussed. The session will conclude with a business card exchange with ample time set aside for you to meet and mingle with other new members. Though tailored for first-time attendees or those who are new to the Annual Meeting, this session is open to anyone who would like to learn more about the many AUTM events and networking opportunities.
Fireside Chat 6 – 7p.m. Wed., March 14: NASA’s Chief Technologist, Mason Peck, Ph.D., will provide a short presentation on our generation’s “Space Race.” Come explore topics such as future avenues of research, how university intellectual property can address some of those issues, and how academia, government and industry can better work together to successfully commercialize scientific discoveries for the greater good.
IP Roundtable and Plenary, 8 – 10 a.m., Thurs., March 15
Industry/Academia Partnering Forum, 5 – 6 p.m. Thurs., March 15
IT/Physical Sciences Business Plan Competition, 9 – 10:30 a.m., Fri., March 16
Life Sciences Business Plan Competition and Venture Capital Panel Discussion, 2 – 4:30 p.m., Fri., March 16
We have an internal email list of first time AUTM attendees--nightly reminders/summaries about the next day’s events at the Annual Meeting will be shared with members of this list. Please email me at: hassan.naqvi@vanderbilt.edu if you would like receive these updates. Be sure to take advantage of the Collaborate partnering software which is now active and can be used by Annual Meetings registrants to schedule some meetings with company representatives before you even set foot in Anaheim.
Lastly, those preparing to attend the Annual Meeting for the first time might be interested in reading accounts by AUTM members (including me when I was a Freshman) about their experiences at their first Annual Meeting here and here.
See you in Anaheim!