On July 8th, Lehigh University held its sixth speaker event for their Research Translation AcceLUrator (RTA) and STEM-Summer Institute (STEM-SI) interns. Dr. John Coulter, the Associate Vice Provost for Research Translation and the Principal Investigator of the National Science Foundation’s Accelerated Research Translation grant, discussed situations researchers experience while translating their work into societal impact.
Dr. Coulter kicked off the conversation by welcoming the RTA and STEM-SI fellows to discuss a bit about their projects and their experiences engaging in customer discovery interviews. Dr. Coulter discussed things researchers need to be mindful of when distributing their research. Using Dr. Rosa Zhang’s wireless underwater camera as an example, Coulter discussed how different proposed uses for prototypes can result in the need for different methods to account for security, durability, efficiency, and protection of intellectual property. Connecting back to a prior speaker, Dr. Lisa Getzler, Dr. Coulter further reinforced the importance of being connected to customers and what uses they have in mind.
He then explained the difference between a venture and research translation, focusing on the nuance of research and the importance of customer discovery and market. He also discussed the importance of funding for research and the unique pressures many researchers face in ensuring adequate resources to support their work. At universities, there is a lot of pressure for professors interested in tenure to publish papers – and rapidly. This can cause researchers to avoid spending time on customer discovery and experimentation. Lehigh’s RTA program is hoping to shift the culture to support researchers who want to create something impactful with their time and resources without the pressures inherent in the work of being a faculty member.
Dr. Coulter discussed many other hurdles researchers could encounter, including changes from collaborators and supporters, from funding to shifts in priority that require project pivots. He also discussed the challenging realities of a competitive market and the complications of governmental regulations and the impact those have for researchers.
Dr. Coulter’s talk provided an important view of the complexities of the research landscape and how those complexities impact research translation. Drawing from a wealth of personal experiences, and grounding his talk in real world examples, Dr. Coulter provided a context for the work the students are engaged in during the RTA summer session. At the end of the talk, Dr. Coulter encouraged the RTA and STEM-SI fellows to “ask the hard questions” in customer discovery interviews and challenged them to help their mentors to keep the people who will use their finished project in mind.