The ORPC is delighted to welcome our newest class of interns from the UNH School of Law!

Chris Leming and Nate Blase started in the office on June 3, 2013 and will be working with us throughout the summer and the next academic year. Nate and Chris just recently completed their 1L year of law school and bring a terrific variety of experiences to the ORPC.

Chris Leming hails from North Carolina, where he worked as a patent agent at Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., a biotechnology company with the purpose of “bringing plant potential to life” by developing innovative solutions for global needs related to food, feed, fuel and fiber. While at Syngenta, Chris was responsible for evaluating invention disclosures, interviewing inventors, and prosecuting patent applications for technologies developed in-house as well as those in-licensed. Chris earned his BS and MS in Microbiology from North Carolina State University and plans to practice patent law upon graduation from UNH School of Law.

Nate Blase is originally from Wisconsin and earned his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan. Nate’s senior design project related to design of a satellite and mission to Phobos, the Martian moon, and included policy research and understanding relevant standards and requirements for such a mission. In addition, Nate has had experience conducting prior art searches while researching patentability of inventions. Nate is interested in pursuing patent prosecution after graduation.

While working with the ORPC, our goal is to utilize Chris and Nate’s backgrounds to assist the licensing managers, and for Nate and Chris to gain hands-on experiences, with tech transfer - including innovator interviews; prior art searches; market research; and review of agreements such as non-disclosure agreements, intellectual property terms of sponsored research agreements, material transfer agreements, and license agreements. Nate will be working primarily with Tristan Carrier on innovations originating from the InterOperability Laboratory (IOL) and College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS). Chris will be working with Tim Willis and his support of UNH trademark work and creative works arising from the Institute on Disability, College of Health and Human Services, College of Liberal Arts, and Cooperative Extension. In addition, Chris will be working with Maria Emanuel and the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and Paul College.

Keep an eye out for blog posts from Chris and Nate this summer, and please reach out to welcome them to UNH!

Nate Blase can be reached at nathaniel.blase@unh.edu; Chris Leming can be reached at christopher.leming@unh.edu.

Please contact Maria Emanuel at maria.emanuel@unh.edu for additional information about our internship program with UNH School of Law students or the ORPC.