LHU Hosts Videoconference on PASSHE Entrepreneurial Forum

11/2/2012

Lock Haven University’s President Dr. Michael Fiorentino, Jr. hosted a reception which was followed by a video-conferencing forum. The forum highlighted the Pennsylvania State Legislature’s recently passed legislation—Higher Education Modernization Law (Act 132 of 2012). The forum was held on October 23, 2012, in the Greenberg Auditorium. It was attended by faculty, administrators, staff, and guests such as Pennsylvania Biotechnology, PulseTor, Croda, Gannett Fleming, and HOPE Enterprise, Inc.

Dr. Donna Wilson, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, explained some of the salient features of the Act 132. Under Act 132, new avenues have been created for commercialization of products and inventions. “Universities are now permitted to enter into license agreements for production, distribution, and sale of faculty-invented intellectual property with company owned by the faculty/staff-inventor or a company that employs the faculty or staff inventor,” says Dr. Wilson.

The Forum presenters delivered their presentations via videoconference from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The presenters included PASSHE Chancellor John C. Cavanaugh, Dr. Ronald Huss, Associate Vice President Research and Technology, Penn State University, and Mr. Jim Rooney, President and CEO of AMTV. “The speakers really explained in-depth the scope of the legislation. The Modernization Act extends an exciting opportunity to PASSHE faculty and staff in engaging business, university, and community partnerships facilitating economic growth of the Commonwealth,” says Dr. Fiorentino. Following the video forum, Dr. Marian Tzolov, LHU Associate Professor of Physics, shared the technology he developed on methods for deposition of electrodes on polymer light emitting devices. The patent application for this technology was approved in August 2012 by the US Patent & Trademark Office.