University of Central Florida Lecture with Dr. Stephanie Couch

Re-Imagining Education Through the Transdisciplinary ‘Lens’ of Invention

Inventions change the world by improving how society lives, learns, communicates, and plays. Value derived from investing in this form of creative output is widely recognized. Educational opportunities that prepare people to engage in transformative, high-impact research to produce patentable solutions that address society’s major challenges has received less attention. This session will explore ways educators can help all learners develop as inventors, starting in the early years and continuing through college, and the many benefits that await those who take up invention education.

Dr. Couch is the Executive Director of the Lemelson-MIT Program administered by the School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research explores ways prolific inventors find and develop technological solutions to problems. She also examines factors that support or constrain the development of creative and inventive problem-solving capabilities among people at different age ranges and stages of development with an emphasis on discovering ways of remedying historic inequities in the U.S. with respect to who develops and protects their intellectual property. Insights into these subjects are informed by her Interactional Ethnographic approach to examining opportunities for learning. Prior to joining the Lemelson-MIT Program, Stephanie worked in California in numerous roles focused on K-12 and higher education policy including school finance and technology in teaching and learning. She holds an A.A. from Modesto Junior College, a B.A. in Political Science from UC Davis, and a M.A./Ph.D in education from UC Santa Barbara.