The National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association released the rankings of the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2014, June 16 officially naming Drexel 61st on the list tied with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

For the past three years, the NAI and the IPO have annually calculated the number of utility patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to determine the universities, both in the U.S. and abroad, which have accumulated the most patents. At 34 total patents, Drexel University earned a spot among the top 100, ahead of schools such as Yale University (65th) and Dartmouth College (81st). The patents from the College of Medicine were not included in the count, which would have increased Drexel’s patents.

“We have a very good process for filing good patents that issue, but the more revealing fact is that Drexel produces similar numbers of innovations each year to schools with three to five times the research funding that we have. This is a remarkable level of innovation per dollar of funding that we receive,” Robert McGrath, Drexel’s executive director and associate vice provost, said. “Patents are a key vehicle that we use to help introduce Drexel’s discoveries to industry, and provides the means to deliver our technology solutions to society.”

McGrath continued, noting the importance of research and development to Drexel.

” McGrath said. “Developing solutions to society’s challenges has been part of Drexel’s core mission since our founding, and conducting this type of work helps to fulfill that mission,” he continued.

At the head of this mission is Drexel Ventures which, according to McGrath, works with faculty, staff and students to identify new inventions that originate out of the University’s research programs. Drexel Ventures also manages an Innovation Fund that supports research that takes place with the goal of making Drexel innovations more market ready. Keith Orris, Drexel’s senior vice president for corporate relations and economic development, has been leading Ventures since 2013.

“This is all meant to enhance Drexel’s legacy of innovation in our faculty. We are not afraid to try new approaches and consider big ideas,” Orris said.

Drexel was also noted for its measures in budgeting for research projects.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology spent the equivalent of $296.77 million in funding for research during the 2013-2014 school year. By contrast, on average, Drexel University spends around $110 million on research every year.

“We can argue that we stretch our research dollars more than most institutions,” Orris said. He continued,

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Drexel University hosted the second annual Chem Wars at Drexel Park April 11. Organized by the University’s chapter of the American Chemical Society, the Chem Wars pitted six Philadelphia area schools against each other in four chemistry-related events. First place went to the University of Sciences, and Drexel University came in second.

The first Chem Wars was held at Temple University in 2014. Most of the guidelines and events established the previous year were carried over to this year’s games. Even so, a notable change from Temple from the guidelines and events established the previous year were the spirit, best dressed and best sportsmanship awards, won by USciences, Widener University and La Salle University, respectively.

Photo Credit: Ann Haftl

Heavily involved in the planning for the Chem Wars was the president of Drexel’s ACS chapter Stefanie Farrell. “We met with six schools, basically, since February, planning this whole event; and then our job was just to carry it out, order all the supplies, and get the games together,” she said.

The schools participating were Temple, USciences, Arcadia University, Widener, La Salle and Drexel. Each school was represented by a team of 10 chemistry students, many of who were also members of their schools’ ACS clubs. The game consisted of four events, dimensional analysis, molecule building, electron dodgeball (which is what it sounds like) and the titration relay.

The relay, in particular, proved to be a favorite, which, according to Farrell, had four legs to it. “The first one was to balance five equations,” Farrell said. “So the person had to run up to their equations and run back. The second was Particle in a Box, so we got these buckets and we threw tennis balls, and you had to catch the tennis ball in the bucket, basically. The third one was to calculate how much titrate you would need for your titration, and the final leg was actually titrating an acid with a base.”

Gina Vitale, who was recruited to the Drexel team as a member of the ACS club, said that carrying out a titration is “difficult to do outside.” Vitale added that the ACS and the Chem Wars “are really cool programs and, definitely, more people should do them.”

The Chem Wars, besides being a chance for chemistry students to compete and get to know one another, also raise donations for a charity of the students’ choosing. Every participant paid a $5 registration fee upon entering the competition. Farrell said, “We raised $305 for the Ronald McDonald House. That’s the charity that they chose last year, so we continued that.”

Including team members and spectators, one hundred people or so turned out for the Chem Wars, a sizable crowd to witness Drexel’s team earn second place, right behind USciences.

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