Susan Su
10-year member

Susan Su

Primary Patent Examiner, US Patent and Trademark Office
CA
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  • Gracie Hacker

    Added Thursday, February 23, 2017 at 4:08 PM

    I am in high school and I was wondering what it would be like if I went into that field
    Answers 2
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Monday, March 27, 2017 at 1:55 PM
    Whether or not a major is “worth it” depends on your interests and goals.  Are you interested in engineering? Like solving medical problems (be it on the nanoscale or macroscopic level)?  Is income or job security important to you?  Biomedical ...
  • Kira, Renton

    Added Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 12:17 PM

    I want to be a biomedical engineer but it is hard to find a school with a biomedical program that will fit my budget. If I go to a school with a bioengineering program can I use that bioengineering degree to get a job in the biomedical field or do I have to specifically major in biomedical engineering to be a biomedical engineer? Thank you!
    Answers 1
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 12:17 PM

    Dear Kira,

    Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering are synonyms.  While bioengineering technically covers a much wider field than biomedical engineering, but in reality just about all bioengineering programs out there are actually biomedical ...

  • Jessica

    Added Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at 11:18 AM

    Hi, I am a senior who is very interested in becoming a prosthetic technician. However, I am not sure what track I should study in college. I was thinking that getting a degree in Biomedical Engineering will be my best option, but I am not sure. If you could help me out with this. That will be great. Trying to figure this out before I start paying for college. Thanks, Jessica
    Answers 1
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at 11:18 AM

     Hi Jessica,

    Ah, so many tough decisions to make during the last year in high school!  If you’re interested in prosthetics, yes, the obvious first choice would be to choose biomedical engineering, since you’ll need to know the ...

  • Ahmed, Cairo asked Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office

    Added Monday, July 20, 2015 at 1:46 PM

    I want to know if I can take B.S. in Mechanical Engineering as a pre medicine and then join a medical school?! Can I do this or not?
    Answers 1
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Monday, July 20, 2015 at 1:46 PM

    Hi Ahmed,

    My general understanding is that yes, you can get a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and then go to medical school.  I think (but I don't know for certain) that it does not matter what your bachelor's degree is in, it only matters that you ...

  • Nikki, Chicago

    Added Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 8:29 AM

    I have been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life for years now. I came across BioMedical Engineering and fell in love. I love math and science, I've yet to take Physics but I can't imagine liking math and science and not being good at that too. Then I came onto this site, and I Looked at the "try on" section. I don't take things apart to figure out how they work, I don't try to build stuff. Is this all stuff I really should have before going into classes, or can all of this come ...
    Answers 1
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 8:29 AM
    Hi Nikki,
     
    First I want to tell you that I still haven’t figured out what I would like to do with my professional life.  I just want you to know that not everyone knows what they want to do with their lives from the very beginning. ...
  • Divya , Beaverton asked Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office

    Added Monday, December 22, 2014 at 6:05 PM

    Hi, I was wondering if I can do my bachelors degree in Bioengineering and then do my masters degree in Biomedical engineering, is this something that can work or are the two fields too far apart? Thank you in advance, Divya
    Answers 1
  • Ella, Weston asked Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office

    Added Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at 8:09 PM

    Hey Susan! I was wondering what kind of writing do you do on a daily basis? Are you in charge of writing mostly official documents or is it mainly e-mail and memos? Also, who are you usually writing to? Is it mainly other engineers or individuals with a similar background? Also, are there any journals or blogs that you read for your field? Thank you, Ella
    Answers 1
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at 8:09 PM
    Hi Ella!
    
    As a patent examiner I write "office action" on a daily basis, and that is an official document that gets mailed to the inventor (or their attorney if there is one). An office action generally has a few forms and a word document where I ...
  • Maggie, Marietta,GA

    Added Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 3:41 PM

    Dear Susan Su, I would like to know what are your accomplishments in your job what asspirations do you have and what inspired you to be a bio medical engineer?
    Answers 1
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 3:41 PM

    Hi Maggie,

    Those are some tough questions! The more glamorous answer to your first question is that collectively the US Patent and Trademark Office has reduced the backlog of patent applications waiting for examination from the peak backlog of about ...

  • Nancy, Mechanical engineering student asked Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office

    Added Monday, June 3, 2013 at 12:58 PM

    Hi my name is Nancy. I am a mechanical engineering student in second year. I want to know, did mechanical engineers work in medical devices, and can I take anything related to biology in MS of mechanical engineering so I can work with both machines and medicine? I am looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you
    Answers 1
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Monday, June 3, 2013 at 12:58 PM

    Hi Nancy,

    Yes, many mechanical engineers do work on medical devices! Mechanical engineering programs (baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate) typically will not ask you to go beyond just one class in introductory level biology, but I'm sure your school ...

  • Pamela, Davenport asked Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office

    Added Friday, December 21, 2012 at 6:17 PM

    Hi, I’m10 years old. I was wondering what a patent examiner does.
    Answers 1
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Friday, December 21, 2012 at 6:17 PM
    Hi Pamela! Patent is something that an inventor tries to get to have legal protection of using his own invention. It is sort of like a deed for a house. The inventor submits an application, in the "claims" section the owner/inventor would declare in ...
  • Sravanti, Ohio asked Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office

    Added Friday, March 30, 2012 at 5:02 AM

    Hi! I'm currently a junior in High School, and it's just about that time where I'm starting to look into colleges. I've always loved biology and math, and am looking at a potential major as bioengineering. However, my physics is a little weak, and when it comes to solving physics problems, I'm not always the best, and I struggle. My question was, will my weakness in physics/problem solving hinder me in succeeding at engineering? I really want to be able to make a difference in the world ...
    Answers 1
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Friday, March 30, 2012 at 5:02 AM
    Hi Sravanti, I'm glad to hear that you take an interest in bioengineering. It's really a very broad field, ranging from strict engineering practices to strictly biological studies, based on your eventual job/research focus. While being weak at physics ...
  • sara, georgia asked Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office

    Added Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 9:40 AM

    i really want to go into biomedical engineering, and hopefully get my phd in the cardiovascular system. do u have any advice for me like how i can get this to work? Although i still have 4 or 5 yrs to choose i want to find out more about biomedical engineering.
    Answers 2
    Susan Su, US Patent and Trademark Office
    Answered Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 9:40 AM
    Hi Sara, Biomedical Engineering is a very broad discipline, and that's what makes it interesting. It covers many areas such as genetic engineering, molecular/cellular biology, biomechanics, biomaterials, computer simulation of biological processes, ...