Why are patents important? Why is it critical to make the patent system and other forms of intellectual property (IP) like copyright and trademark a process that welcomes everyone?
For many years, people of color, women, low-income individuals and those with disabilities have faced many unfair obstacles as inventors, including a lack of invention education and recognition for their work and the patent process itself.
While statistics for these groups have improved over the last few decades, much work is still needed. The organization Invent Together seeks to increase the number of inventors from these groups via The Inventors Patent Academy (TIPA), a free online course open to all, including educators looking to teach their students about intellectual property — or maybe they'll apply for a patent themselves!
This April, PBS NewsHour Classroom's Invention Education Fellows met over Zoom to hear about TIPA from Dr. Gloria Bañuelos of Qualcomm, a former science teacher, and LaToya Washington, a high school science teacher in Houston, Texas, and previous NewsHour Classroom Invention Ed Fellow.
Current fellows also shared student inventor success stories from this year. You can watch the full session here, or keep reading to view selected clips.
LaToya Washington, high school science teacher, describes the ease of use of TIPA and what she got out of the course:
Finished all 3 modules of The Inventor's Patent Academy (TIPA).
— LaToya Washington, M.Ed (@L_D_Washington) April 1, 2024
Prior to this course, I had zero knowledge of patents and the patent process. Now I want to read as many patents as I can because I know the work that went into them and because the process is so very interesting. pic.twitter.com/QcIhoM0aZN
Dr. Gloria Bañuelos explains what makes the course unique and its target audience:
Lillian Hemphill, middle school English teacher in Sherwood, Arkansas, on why invention economics courses are important for students:
Cindy Wyatt, middle school science coordinator in Jackson, Tenn., describes an invention from one of her students:
Dr. Terri Dove, high school science teacher and district curriculum writer in Prince Georges County, Maryland, on the invention of the STEM Fair winner she taught:
Scott Petri, high school social studies and ethnic studies teacher in Los Angeles, Calif., discusses how his students took invention ed in the community service direction:
Tricia Kerns, science teacher in Northbrook, Illinois, explains how her students designed a sensor invention:
Kevin Warfield, high school engineering teacher in West Virginia, describes the thermal imaging and wheelchair inventions his students designed:
This post was produced by NewsHour's Vic Pasquantonio and Benjamin Thernstrom, a senior at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia, and intern with PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS NewsHour Classroom's Invention Education Fellows are teachers from all different subjects and class levels. If you want to know more, contact education@newshour.org for information about invention ed, NewsHour Classroom Invention Ed Fellowship and how to join the invention ed community!
