NEWARK, NJ, September 7, 2022 – Edge’s Dr. Forough Ghahramani, Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Sponsored Programs, will be presenting at the New Jersey Equity in Commercialization Collective (NJECC) Technology Transfer Office (TTO) workshop on September 8, 2022. This virtual workshop brings together TTO administrators and leaders from academic institutions from around the state to educate attendees about the systemic barriers faced by underrepresented inventors in STEM and the factors that encourage and dissuade women’s participation in technology commercialization.
Workshop attendees will have an opportunity to review their organization’s current processes and data through an inclusivity, equity, and intersectionality lens. During this reflection, TTOs will learn how to employ inclusive outreach and network development tools to develop relationships with more historically underserved inventors and gain strategies for creating effective action plans for implementing change at their organizations.
The NJECC is an NSF Advance Partnership project. An important goal of NJECC is increasing the diversity of STEM faculty researchers who participate in New Jersey’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. As Co-PI on the NJECC, Ghahramani and the collaborators on the project are exploring the equity issues within the academic community, the key barriers that many women and underrepresented populations face when participating in research and innovation, and concrete actions that can be taken to ensure systemic change.
Ghahramani is dedicated to helping create better outreach programs and resources that foster greater inclusion in academic innovation. As co-author of “Engaging More Women in Academic Innovation,” recently published in the National Academy of Inventors: Technology and Innovation Journal, she notes, “I am excited to share insights and key findings of the study with workshop attendees and discuss how institutions can be effective change agents within the community.”
You can learn more about this event at URL, or visit the NJECC website at https://www.njeccadvance.com to explore the important initiatives that are fostering diversity and inclusion throughout the state.
