Department of Bioengineering, Fall 2008 Seminar Series 

Interdisciplinary Education in Engineering Entrepreneurship: 

Stimulating Innovation and Supporting Entrepreneurial Endeavors on the 
University Campus 


Dr. Lawrence M. Boyd 

Associate Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization 
Adjunct Professor, Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Engineering Management 
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 


Society is entering a period of unprecedented change. The engineering education system must produce 
graduates capable of not only responding to change, but also anticipating change and, most importantly, 
initiating change. Many definitions of the word “entrepreneur” emphasize the role of an entrepreneur as a 
change agent in society. Our goal is to educate a new generation of engineering entrepreneurs that are able 
to envision and drive innovation. The world economy is in great flux, with increasing globalization and 
highly inter-dependent markets. The practice of engineering itself is becoming increasingly more 
interdisciplinary and inter-dependent. In today’s high-tech environment, engineers are expected to be 
conversant in, and able to function across, multiple disciplines. Engineers no longer work in solitude; in 
fact, design and project decisions are influenced by a multitude of external factors that result from 
financial, management, marketing and intellectual property concerns. 

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization (www.cerc.duke.edu) creates 
interdisciplinary educational opportunities at all educational levels of Duke's campus, creating new 
entrepreneurship classes and expanding the breadth of existing classes at both the graduate and 
undergraduate level. These courses allow students to work in interdisciplinary teams to develop and 
advance business and social ventures (student and faculty initiated). The classroom experience is only one 
component of a larger commitment by the university to promote and support student entrepreneurship. 
CERC has been instrumental in establishing the Duke Student Ventures program, which provides a means 
for students to secure University support and recognition for their business or social ventures. Many of 
these ventures enter the Duke Startup Challenge, a three phase competition that encourages students to plan 
and launch their own businesses. Various spaces for entrepreneurial endeavors exist on campus, including 
the Home Depot Smart Home a showcase of green design and a living R&D laboratory which features a 
variety of eco-friendly and high-tech elements and houses 10 students. We are also currently constructing 
DUHatch, a student business incubator. The DUHatch incubator offers enterprising Duke students the 
space and resources to develop their business concepts. Incubatees gain access to workspace as well as 
mentorship from Duke faculty, graduate students, local businesspersons, and Duke alums to nurture and 
accelerate ideas into reality. These co-curricular activities and support facilities provide a significant 
experiential learning aspect to the entrepreneurship education at the university. 

Where: Nitschke Seminar Room, NI 1027 

When: Friday, September 12, 2008 

Time: Refreshments 11:45 – 12:00 noon, 

 Seminar 12:00 – 1:00 pm 

Dr. Boyd is an international leader in orthopaedic medical device innovation, with over 50 U.S. patents 
and pending applications for devices and procedures related to spinal repair. He has worked at prominent 
medical device companies, such as Dow Corning and Medtronic, and has also started his own companies 
primarily focused on spine research and development. He obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering 
from Duke University where he is now the Associate Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and 
Research Commercialization.