News and Events

Join us for the Robert Family Launch Strategy Seminar series for a special talk entitled So You Want To Start An Emerging Technology Company? Legal Insights Every Founder Needs to Know with Allison Schmitt, assistant professor at the UO Knight School of Law. 

Whether you’re an MBA student, an entrepreneurial faculty member, a Knight Campus collaborator, or one of our valued industry advisors, this discussion will dive into what you need to know about the law to commercialize your idea, while avoiding common intellectual property (IP) and exclusivity pitfalls. Refreshments will be provided.

Allison A. Schmitt is an assistant professor at the University of Oregon School of Law. There, her research and teaching focus on intellectual property and health law issues.  Previously, Allison was the inaugural director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology’s Life Sciences Law and Policy Center, hosted at UC Berkeley Law.  Allison previously worked in private practice at Covington & Burling LLP and Sidley Austin LLP, where her practice focused on intellectual property litigation, strategy, due diligence and IP deals strategy and licensing, and policy.  She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Kathleen M. O’Malley at the Federal Circuit, and the Honorable Stanley R. Chesler at the District of New Jersey.  Allison holds a J.D. from UC Berkeley Law and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Duke University.

The Robert Family Launch Strategy Seminar Series helps transform University of Oregon research discoveries and student innovations into investment-ready ventures. Created in partnership with the UO Foundation’s Launch Oregon fund and the Lundquist College of Business, the series equips founders with the tools, mentorship, and strategic frameworks needed to move from concept to launch.

Description: This seminar will feature two PhD candidates from the Knight Campus presenting research at the intersection of bioengineering, regenerative medicine, and developmental biology.

• Cameron Moore (Benoit Lab) will present “Novel Polycatecholic Nanoparticles as a Therapeutic Platform for Promoting Age-Related Fracture Healing,” focusing on biomaterial innovations aimed at improving bone repair in aging populations.

• Cora Ferguson (Lindberg & Willett Labs) will present “Engineering a Human-Based Microphysiological System to Study Estrogen-Driven Cartilage Development,” which explores how engineered tissue models can advance understanding of hormonal influences on cartilage growth.

All are welcome to attend.

Dr. Carolyn Schutt Ibsen of Oregon Health & Science University will present a seminar titled “SonoScaffolds and Sentinels: Ultrasound-Responsive Biomaterials for Remote Control of Cell Signaling.” Her talk will explore the development of novel biomaterials that respond to ultrasound stimulation, offering new possibilities for noninvasive modulation of cell behavior in tissue engineering and therapeutic applications. This event is part of the 2025–26 Bioengineering Seminar Series hosted by the Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering. All are welcome to attend.

Description: The Department of Bioengineering at the Knight Campus is pleased to welcome Dr. Michael J. Weickert as the featured speaker for the Winter 2026 installment of the Robert Family Entrepreneurship Speaker Series. His talk, “Dumb Ways to Die: How Biotech Startups Fail,” will explore the realities of launching and sustaining life science ventures, drawing on more than 30 years of experience in the biotechnology and medical device industries.

Dr. Weickert will examine entrepreneurship as a professional discipline, offering insights into fundraising, clinical development, regulatory strategy, and the complex path of translating research into successful commercial products.

About the Speaker: Dr. Michael J. Weickert is the CEO of Pacylex Pharmaceuticals and Fe Pharmaceuticals and has spent over three decades developing drugs and medical devices in both public and private companies. He has founded and led multiple startups, held executive roles at seven companies, and contributed to a $3B acquisition by Teva. Dr. Weickert holds a PhD in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and completed his postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute at NIH.

Location: In-person: Beetham Family Seminar Room, Room 127, Knight Campus, 1st Floor Remote: A Zoom webinar link will be shared closer to the event. A recording will be available on our website following the presentation.

All are welcome to attend.

Please join the Knight Campus Department of Bioengineering and Graduate Internship Program during the program/track specific ceremony times on Monday, June 15, 2026 at the Knight Campus. 

• 3:00-3:20pm - Bioengineering PhD Commencement Ceremony 

• 3:30-3:50pm - KCGIP Sensors/Polymers Master's Commencement Ceremony 

• 4:05-4:25pm - KCGIP Semi/Optics Master's Commencement Ceremony 

• 4:40-5:00pm - KCGIP Bioinformatics Master's Commencement Ceremony 

Graduates, please RSVP here by May 20, 2025. For questions graduates can contact their programs recruiters and advisors (KCGIP@uoregon.edu or bioengineering@uoregon.edu).