“Chemistry research at Rutgers #1 in the nation for federal funding” – read all about it at http://vpr.rutgers.edu/news/node/86. The Rutgers University Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology has been among the top ten universities for research grants for over five years, but this is the first time it has reached number one status. Plans are underway for a new building for the department. Meanwhile the Library of Science and Medicine is conducting a search for the Chemistry and Physics Librarian position, vacant since May 2012.
LSM has received many more inquiries from patrons for patent and trademark assistance since last summer. Most of the questions come from independent inventors and small business investors, and from Rutgers students attending the scientific and technical writing classes offered by the library each semester as part of the English 302/303 courses.
Connie Wu has been busier than ever this year, and again offered a 10 week seminar on Innovation and Intellectual Property to 20 freshmen in the fall of 2012. In addition, she has given the following talks about IP since July 2012:
“Patent ABC.” Invited talk for the RUL Research Data Team, Alexander Library, New Brunswick, March 21, 2013.
“Byrne Seminar in Intellectual Property for Freshmen.” Talk at the RUL Scholarly and Professional Activities Committee’s Spring Series of Presentations, New Brunswick, March 12, 2013.
“One Stop Online Patent Platform.” Invited talk at Beijing East Linden Science and Technology Co., Dec. 10, 2012, Beijing, China.
“Patents in the United States.” Invited talk at Tongji University Library, November 23, 2012, Shanghai, China.
The CASSIS workstation supplied to depository libraries by the USPTO in 1998, and officially abandoned by them in 2008, stopped working in December 2012 after a remarkable fourteen years of service. Our LSM Unit Computing Specialist Pam Johnson managed to get a surplus used PC from the RUL Integrated Information Systems Department to replace it this March. The CASSIS workstation is now configured to run the USAPAT, USAAPP, and USAMARK products (the original printer still works!), but is primarily used for PUBWEST access. Patrons can still perform patent and trademark searches on the four PCs in the reference area reserved for public use.