2024 Newsletter: January-March

March 31, 2024

IPO Education Foundation Adopts New Strategic Plan

IPO Education Foundation is kicking off the year with exciting news! The IPOEF Board of Directors elected 2024-2025 leadership to include: President Henry Hadad (Bristol Myers Squibb Co.), Vice President Scott Barker (Micron Technology, Inc.), and Treasurer Anjanette Lecher (Corning Inc.). The Foundation Officers will be leading the organization through the launch of its 2024-2026 strategic plan. Foundation activities will elevate awareness of and appreciation for the role IP plays in driving innovation, prosperity, and welfare of all. Activities will also focus on educating the next generation about the role IP plays in driving prosperity and enriching life in our communities. As you will read in this quarter’s newsletter, there are new initiatives to bring IP education into the community and we hope you will join us in this effort! We look forward to providing additional progress updates throughout the year. If you’d like to learn more about opportunities to support the work of the Foundation please read about the Educate Committee below or consider making a donation. IPOEF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and relies on the support of its volunteers and donors to achieve its mission. To learn more about the Foundation, please contact Deputy Executive Director Kristen Lurye, klurye@ipo.org.

IPO Education Foundation Leadership 
2024-2025

President, Henry Hadad (Bristol Myers Squibb Co.)

Scott Barker

Vice President, Scott Barker (Micron Technology, Inc.)

Anjanette Lecher_website

Treasurer, Anjanette Lecher (Corning, Inc.)

Educate Committee Lauches IP Toolkit for Students Grades 6-12

The Educate Committee has developed a toolkit titled “IP Education for Next Gen Innovators (Grades 6-12)” that was created as a guide for IP professionals to deliver essential IP concepts to middle and high school students. It includes a turnkey presentation, presenters guide, interactive exercises, and more. Everything in the toolkit can be customized according to the presentation length or IP knowledge of the students. IPOEF is excited to encourage the IP community to connect with schools and community programs to empower the next generation of IP aware students.
Please consider using the toolkit to host an activity in celebration of World IP Day on April 26! The toolkit includes a sample email template to use when contacting local schools or you can coordinate with your company or firm to host an activity. The toolkit is intended to be an easy lift on presenters, providing turnkey materials to teach core concepts about IP rights. We ask that you please provide feedback about your experience by filling out a short survey (included in the toolkit) so we can continue to improve! Top presenters will be featured in the IPO Daily News and on our leaderboard on the IPOEF website. Take a look at the toolkit and email foundation@ipo.org with any questions.
Educate Committee Seeking Volunteers
The IPO Education Foundation Educate Committee, led by Chair Ramya Possett (BlueFoot) and Vice-Chair Karen Harding (Johnson & Johnson), is looking for additional members who are passionate about promoting IP education to students, especially those in underrepresented communities. The committee meets monthly and has created subcommittees working to promote the new toolkit through participation, celebration, and community partnerships.

Why Didn’t I Think of That? Competition

IPO Education Foundation announced three winners in the invention competition “Why Didn’t I Think of That?” on February 29! Click the images below to learn more about each student and their inventions. Winners were selected from nine finalists in three age categories. Finalists were featured on various media platforms encouraging the public to vote for their favorite invention. Audrey Larson, 2023 Inspiration Award Winner and competition finalist, was on The Lisa Wexler show to talk about her patented invention that would protect kids during a school shooting. Three finalists from California were also featured in a local news article reaching over 100,000 readers. 12th grader Taylor Ryan spoke about her goal to grow her business and what she’s learned as she enters in the male dominated sports industry. For a full list of media coverage so far this year, visit IPOEF.org/media.
The three winners, listed below, have been invited to attend the Awards Celebration in December. Between March and December, winners will receive one-on-one coaching from industry professionals like inventor and CEO Louis Foreman (Enventys), Director of Incubation Enablement Elizabeth Scallon (HP Inc.), and businessman and strategist John Underfer (Worldwide IP Solutions). The goal of this program is to provide information and resources to students who want to take their ideas to the next level as well as highlight the students in the media to demonstrate the value of intellectual property protection.

2024 Winners

Ava-Elizabeth_Bell_Headshot

12 and Under Category Winner: Ava-Elizabeth, Ohio
Inventor of the OCT-D: Defense for Your Car

Tarun Batchu_headshot

13-15 Year Old Category Winner: Tarun, Ohio
Trident: (Advancing Sustainability with RefinedCatalytic Plastic Pyrolysis Devices)

ChristopherNicholasKwok_photo

16 and Older Category Winners: Christopher and Nicholas, California
Chaeto Biofilter, a sustainable, direct, and cost-effective solution to ocean acidification.

Awards Celebration Scheduled for December 12, 2024

The Awards Celebration will be held on December 12, 2024 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. This annual event celebrates intellectual property and IP awareness through honoring accomplishments in the fields of IP, innovation, and creativity. Awards that will be given in 2024 include:
Inventor of the Year – Recognizing the world’s most outstanding recent inventors and how they benefit the nation’s economy and quality of life.
Executive of the Year – Recognizing an executive who’s committed to the creation, promotion and protection of intellectual property.
IP Champion – Recognizing extraordinary leadership in advocating for the value of intellectual property to stimulate the progress of innovation.
Inspiration Award – Recognizing individuals who have made a significant contribution by promoting or championing IP rights for, or on behalf of, members of underrepresented communities.
IP practitioners, IP professionals, government officials, and attendees from all over the world take part in this event. Save the date, December 12 in Washington, DC, to attend the Awards Celebration and support the work of IPOEF to further efforts of elevating awareness of and appreciation for the role IP plays in driving innovation, prosperity, and welfare of all.
Nominate the Next Inventor of the Year
IPOEF invites you to submit a nomination for the 2024 Inventor of the Year by April 26. The Inventor of the Year award recognizes the world’s most outstanding recent inventor(s) and how they benefit the nation’s economy and quality of life. Visit IPOEF.org for a look at past winners!
Happy Women’s History Month – Celebrating Women of IPO and IPOEF
IPO and IPO Education Foundation celebrated Women’s History Month throughout March by honoring women who inspire future generations to dream bigger, reach higher, and pave the way for a more inclusive and diverse world where everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive and contribute to the betterment of society. If you missed it, make sure you’re following IPO and IPOEF on LinkedIn to see the exceptional women serving on the Boards of Directors and IPO staff.
Thank You Platinum Donor Johnson & Johnson 
Foundation activities are possible because of the support of our donors and sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about IPOEF or become a donor, please visit IPOEF.org/donate.