On supervising patentable Junior Projects

Oregon Institute of Technology is the only public institute of technology in the Pacific Northwest, providing degree programs in engineering, management, communications, and applied sciences, that prepare students to be effective participants in their professional, public, and international communities. The Computer Systems Engineering Technology [CSET] department of Oregon Institute of Technology has a set of courses meeting the capstone design experience required under ABET. With a view to prepare students for the capstone design experience, a series of courses entitled Junior Projects were added to the curriculum. Thanks to the explosive developments in VLSI, the projects undertaken by students in their junior year have become complex and innovative. This paper describes the challenges faced by the author while supervising projects that were not only innovative but also patentable. It throws light on possible solutions to those challenges.