New 1 credit courses for doctoral students for Spring 25

 

What are Research Translation AcceLUrator (RTA) courses?
The RTA courses are new one credit courses designed specifically for Lehigh doctoral students (from across all five colleges) to enhance professional development and accelerate research translation. These courses are provided as part of the NSF-funded Accelerating Research Translation award to Lehigh, with the goal of maximizing research impact and fostering societal innovations.

How do RTA courses benefit doctoral students?
Lehigh doctoral students expand the breadth and depth of their knowledge as they learn alongside fellow doctoral students from across Lehigh’s departments and colleges. They also develop their professional skills of communication, project management, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and networking, resilience and adaptability.

How do RTA courses integrate with doctoral students’ other academic requirements, as well as provide support for the faculty advisors of doctoral students?
Tuition is not charged for doctoral students taking these courses. Doctoral students should speak with their faculty advisor about how one or more of these courses could count towards the required credits for spring 2025; one of the following example scenarios may apply:

  • A doctoral student could take one or more of these no-cost courses as part of their coursework electives (per their faculty advisor and department's approval), freeing up dollars for other research or conference expenses 
  • A doctoral student could take eight research credits plus one of the one credit RTA courses in order to reach the 9 credit full-time status; the faculty advisor would only have to pay for eight credits of tuition
  • A doctoral student could take seven research credits plus two of the one credit RTA courses in order to reach the 9 credit full-time status; the faculty advisor would only have to pay for seven credits of tuition
  • One of the one credit RTA courses could count as the required credit for maintenance of candidacy.

How does a doctoral student register for an RTA course?
A doctoral student (from any college) at Lehigh registers through Registration and Academic Services as is the case for any Lehigh course. If an override is required, reach out to Brianne Lisk at brc3@lehigh.edu.

Can a Lehigh postdoc or a faculty member take an RTA course?
Yes. Lehigh postdocs and faculty will need to register as non-degree graduate students. To enroll, reach out to Brianne Lisk at brc3@lehigh.edu.

Who do I reach out to with questions about the curriculum and how these courses can enhance my learning?
Contact Michael Lehman, MD, MBA, Provost Faculty Fellow; Director, Technical Entrepreneurship; Professor of Practice at mil312@lehigh.edu.

Spring 25 RTA Courses

Financing R&D to Commercialization: a Research Translation Toolkit (TE 497-017)

Deepen your knowledge of the range of financial resources available to advance research from initial concept through proof of concept to commercialization. Students will create a financing roadmap, spanning from bootstrapping and America’s Seed Fund (SBIR/STTR) to angel investors and corporate venture capital, to utilize throughout the stages of research translation.

Emphasis on professional skills of: communication, project management, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and networking, resilience and adaptability.

Remote Synchronous: Five every-other-Tuesday evenings from the end of Jan through March:

  • Tue, Jan 21: 7:15pm-9:55pm
  • Tue, Feb 4: 7:15pm-9:55pm
  • Tue, Feb 18: 7:15pm-9:55pm
  • March, March 4: 7:15pm-9:55pm
  • Tue, March 18: 7:15pm-9:55pm

Faculty: Dr. Michael Lehman, Provost Faculty Fellow, Professor of Practice, and Faculty Director of Technical Entrepreneurship, brings an interdisciplinary pedigree to the course: training as medical doctor with an MBA, work at JNJ and in hospital settings, and creator of entrepreneurship programs at three universities to support student innovators from the arts, humanities, social sciences, naturals sciences, education, business, and engineering.

Design Thinking for Research Impact: Driving Social Innovation and Sustainability (TE 497-018)

Master design thinking to transform your research into sustainable, real-world solutions by focusing on human-centered needs, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing. Students from across disciplines will explore how one’s work can drive meaningful social and environmental impact. Emphasis on professional skills of: communication, project management, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and networking, resilience and adaptability.

Remote Synchronous: Five Monday evenings in a row in February/early March:

  • Mon, Feb 3: 7:15pm-9:55pm
  • Mon, Feb 10: 7:15pm-9:55pm
  • Mon, Feb 17: 7:15pm-9:55pm
  • Mon, Feb 24: 7:15pm-9:55pm
  • Mon, March 3: 7:15pm-9:55pm

Faculty: Maureen ‘Moe’ Rinkunas is Vice President of Innovation Programs at Redesign Health, where she leverages a strong background in science, engineering, and business. With a career spanning innovation roles at Corbion, Coplex, DuPont Venture, and Dreamit Ventures, Moe excels in guiding innovators to transform ideas into successful ventures across health tech, ed tech, and green chemistry. As a startup mentor, NSF I-Corps instructor, and adjunct faculty member at Lehigh University, she is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial growth and corporate innovation.

Prototyping across Disciplines: Ideate, Integrate, Iterate (TE 497-019)

Develop your research translation abilities by gaining practical prototyping skills that can be applied across various disciplines. Prototyping is an essential tool for generating ideas, visualizing concepts, and effectively communicating complex research challenges in a tangible form, enabling iterative improvements that better meet the needs of end users. Emphasis on professional skills of: communication, project management, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and networking, resilience and adaptability.

On-Campus Required; TE Classroom (WB 013): Four Fridays in March/April:

  • Fri, March 21: 10am-noon and 2-4pm
  • Fri, March 28: 10am-noon and 2-4pm
  • Fri, April 4: 10am-noon and 2-4pm
  • Fri, April 11: 10am-noon and 2-4pm
  • (note: 09:20 AM - 12:00 PM and 01:35 PM - 04:15 PM will be shown when you register)

Faculty: Brian Slocum is Lehigh’s "Maker-in-Chief," with over 30 years of experience in prototype development and fabrication across industries like high-end fashion design, health sciences, furniture, and even the U.S. Military. As the head of Lehigh’s Design Labs team, he leads facilities that support everything from Additive Manufacturing and Robotics to traditional woodworking and analog craft. Known for his ability to connect with students at any skill level, Brian excels at fostering creativity and bringing out the "maker" in everyone.

Kelly Zona is Manager of the Design Labs, Wilbur Powerhouse.  She has spent over a decade working in makerspaces, teaching concepts in CAD/CAM, design and engineering, and electronics and programming.  She also creates professional development modules for makerspaces around the world, and specializes in the integration of fabrication and automation/interaction.  Previously she has worked in various roles centered around creative technology for organizations including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, US Special Operations Command, the Fab Foundation, Fab Academy, Fab Lab Baltimore, Fab Lab DC, the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM, Johns Hopkins University, and Northeastern University.