What I Do I prepare and file patent applications while advising clients on strategies for managing their intellectual property in a way that makes sense for their business. This means I work with large companies to help advise on all their inventions (which for some companies could be thousands of patents for different inventions).
Why Engineering? I did well in science and math classes. I was always curious about how things worked and why things worked the way they did. I also wanted to understand how companies made groundbreaking new technology.
School Days I received my law degree (Juris Doctorate) from Ohio State University. I received my chemical engineering degree (Bachelors of Science in Engineering in Chemical Engineering) from the University of Michigan.
My Day At Work My daily work includes talking to inventors to discuss their ideas, examining scientific documents related to their inventions, and drafting and applying for patents on their ideas. I also am on the phone a lot with lawyers who work for companies, giving them advice on new products they would like to roll out, and whether there is any risk in rolling out the product.
Best Part I like being on the cutting edge of innovation and learning about where technology is headed.
Proud Moments Passing the patent bar and the bar exam! Those are tough tests, but necessary to do what I do, so I am very proud that I was able to tackle those and begin my career.
Challenges Some of the college-level coursework for my engineering degree was challenging. Learning the concepts in a classroom rather than seeing them applied in real life was a difficult way to understand the material, but I was able to work through the concepts with my professors and graduate assistant instructors who helped me understand the material for the classes in which I struggled.
My Family I live with my husband in Michigan, and we have a 2-year-old Bernedoodle pup! My parents live 20 minutes away, and I get to see them often. My older sister lives in Atlanta.
Dreams and Goals My short-term goals are to continue to grow the type of technologies and clients I work with. My long-term goal is to retire!
Inspiration My parents have had the greatest influence. They never pushed me into my career, but wanted to make sure I enjoyed whatever career I chose. When they saw I wasn’t enjoying chemical engineering as work, but enjoyed the science part of it, they encouraged me to find a career that I could still use this knowledge.
Want to be an Engineer? I think it is important to understand that all careers in Engineering are different. Some are focused on manufacturing, some on research and development, and some are more business facing and focus on the operations side. Engineers can do a lot, and you can too.
Hobbies Outside of Brooks Kushman, I enjoy spending time with my family on the lake, checking out new restaurants, and traveling (when it’s not football season). Although I attended Ohio State for law school, I am true to my undergraduate degree from Michigan, and can regularly be found sporting University of Michigan gear, especially every Saturday of football season at the Big House with my husband watching the Wolverines play.