Interdisciplinary Experiential Education of Intellectual Property Concepts in an Engineering Context

Drawing from a curricular model proposed in a recent report from educators in the UK, this article examines the need to educate US engineering students in intellectual property concepts through partnerships between law students and undergraduate engineering students. The educational vehicle that is the focus of this article is the engineering senior capstone design project. In the proposed pedagogical model, law students studying intellectual property will take on the role of advisors to engineering students (their clients) while the latter group endeavors to develop an engineering solution to a real world problem. This article also seeks to identify and address concerns of licensing authorities and professional associations that may arise as a result of implementation of the model.