{"id":1530,"date":"2021-04-27T19:55:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T19:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/?p=1530"},"modified":"2024-07-13T07:30:58","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T07:30:58","slug":"from-a-life-science-degree-into-ip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/from-a-life-science-degree-into-ip\/","title":{"rendered":"From a Life Science Degree, into IP"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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Photo by Louis Reed, licensed under Unsplash.<\/em><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

My path to an interest in intellectual property (IP) started with earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in Genetics. I spent four years learning how complex our genetic code<\/a> is. Classes in genetics, biology, and chemistry were enough to make my head spin. While I enjoyed learning science, I \u00a0was always more interested in the real-life applications of the science I was learning. I was most interested in learning about how scientific developments could be used to help people. To explore this interest, I began to learn more about what happens with genetic research outside of a lab. I began to read more about how advancements in genetic are used in day-to-day life.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What I learned was that there are many legal implications to genetic research, especially with biotechnology. This research was my first introduction to the world of patent law<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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My Road to Loyola<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Photo by Inaki Del Olmo, licensed under Unsplash.<\/em><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As it turned out, I wasn\u2019t the only one of my undergraduate classmates interested in patent law. Some of them went down the path of becoming patent agent<\/a>s. A patent agent is a non-lawyer qualified to correspond with the US Patent and Trademark Office<\/a> (USPTO) to obtain patents. I wasn\u2019t certain this was what I wanted to do because I wanted to keep my options open to learn about a broader range of legal issues related to genetics and biotechnology, like ethical issues and regulations. So, I decided to look to law school.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I was initially drawn to Loyola because I noticed some of their faculty members had life science backgrounds and I\u2019d heard about their Health Law program<\/a> from my pre-law advisor. When I visited campus and toured the law school, I immediately felt that this was a school that truly cared about their students. For example, I was impressed to learn that first-year students at Loyola can take electives focused on life sciences and patents. Among these elective courses are Genetics Law and Policy<\/a> and Global Access to Medicine: A Patent Perspective<\/a>. At the time, I didn\u2019t know how interesting I would find the intersection between health law and patent law. The point where health law and patent law meet is exactly where I want to be. On my tour I also learned that Loyola\u2019s Health Law program is nationally ranked. This, combined with their strong IP program<\/a>, solidified Loyola as my top choice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Great Expectations, Met.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Once I got to Loyola, all of the opportunities I\u2019d heard about came to life. For example, Loyola offers several options for students to have a more specialized first year legal writing experience<\/a>. In these writing sections, all assignments are focus on one area of law, such as health, public interest, and IP. I was accepted into Loyola\u2019s health law writing section. In our class, we researched and wrote about legislation related to healthcare and how it can apply to a medical malpractice claim. These specialized writing sections are great opportunities to learn more about your potential legal interests!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Additionally, because your writing assignments become the writing sample you submit to potential summer employers, having a focused assignment shows employers you have dipped your toes into a specific area of law and are interested in learning more. Participating in a specialized writing section can also make your writing sample stand out since not all Chicago law schools offer this opportunity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Opportunity Knocked, I Answered<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Photo by Muzammil Soorma, licensed under Unsplash.<\/em><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I came to Loyola with the intention of specializing in life science law. But even in my first couple semesters I have learned about and gained. experience with IP law. This is in part because I decided to join Loyola\u2019s IP. Law Society<\/a> and the Health Law Society<\/a>. Through these student organizations, I have attended exciting events such as panel discussions and speed networking. I have also learned a lot about different opportunities within IP by reading my classmates\u2019 posts on this blog!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

On top of offering great programs in IP and Health Law, Loyola is in a world class city! There are so many opportunities in Chicago. I\u2019ve had great opportunities to network, find jobs, and eat great food. I moved to Chicago even though classes haven\u2019t been in person this year. Living here has been a blast despite the COVID-19 restrictions. Running and rollerblading on the Lakefront trail<\/a> have been awesome ways to see the city. I\u2019ve also explored the different neighborhoods in Chicago by grabbing a coffee<\/a> from a new place or finding restaurants that offer outdoor seating.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Overall, Loyola offers a great environment to learn and grow in. If you are still navigating your interests, there are a multitude of opportunities to explore at Loyola. In addition to so many opportunities, there is always a friendly face to talk through them with you (even over Zoom)!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Madison Causey<\/em>
Assistant Blogger<\/em>
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D. 2023<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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My path to an interest in intellectual property (IP) started with earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in Genetics. I spent four years learning how complex our genetic code is. Classes in genetics, biology, and chemistry were enough to make my head spin. While I enjoyed learning science, I \u00a0was always more interested in the real-life applications of the science I was learning. I was most interested in learning about how scientific developments could be used to help people. To explore this interest, I began to learn more about what happens with genetic research outside of a lab. I began to read more about how advancements in genetic are used in day-to-day life.<\/p>\n

What I learned was that there are many legal implications to genetic research, especially with biotechnology. This research was my first introduction to the world of patent law. Continue reading From a Life Science Degree, into IP<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":3603,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[355],"class_list":["post-1530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-why-loyola","tag-why-loyola"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1530"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4284,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1530\/revisions\/4284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}