Three SMC professors receive the first Michelson Intellectual Property Educator of Excellence Award

The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property (Michelson IP) is proud to present three faculty members of Santa Monica College with the first Michelson IP Educator of Excellence Award for their leadership in promoting intellectual property (IP) and entrepreneurship education.

The award is presented in partnership with the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to IP education for aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors, doers and creators. The Santa Monica College Business Department Award Winners are:

● Salt veas, Office chair

● Nathan Khalil, Faculty, Economics & Justice Administration

● Dana Nasser, Faculty, Economics & Justice Administration

The three winners demonstrated leadership, developed innovative and successful approaches to integrating IP topics into the curriculum, and used their creativity to inspire students and teaching colleagues. The award was presented at the NACCE annual conference following a keynote by. awarded Dr. Gary K. Michelson, Founder and Co-Chair of the Michelson 20MM Foundation and the only named inventor of nearly 1,000 patents worldwide.

“Students are able to drive disruptive innovation,” said Michelson. “By providing students and lifelong learners with the right IP training and resources, we can help inventors and entrepreneurs on their way to solving the world’s greatest challenges.”

In 2017, Santa Monica College was selected as the lead institution in a multi-campus pilot program launched by NACCE and Michelson IP. They developed a model curriculum to incorporate the free Michelson IP resources into community college courses. Today, over 80 NACCE member quorums use Michelson’s IP materials.

“Santa Monica College is a leading advocate of IP education and a visionary champion in bringing IP curricula to bachelor’s programs across our country,” said Phillip Kim, CEO of the Michelson 20MM Foundation. “Sal, Dana and Nathan have worked with us on numerous mission-oriented projects from the start. We cannot imagine this work without their valuable contributions and expertise. It is a great honor to present them with this award. ”

“Meeting the Michelson 20MM team at the 2016 NACCE National Conference was a stroke of luck,” said Veas. Little did we know that this was the beginning of a relationship that would have tremendous depth and scope to help community colleges incorporate intellectual property into their curriculum. We are very honored to be the first college to receive this distinction and recognition. “

In addition to public recognition at the annual NACCE conference, the Michelson IP Educator of Excellence Award includes a cash grant of $ 5,000 to the Santa Monica College Department of Business.