2022 Newsletter: October-December

December 31, 2022

2022 Awards Celebration

On December 7, IPO Education Foundation held its Annual Awards Celebration at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, emceed by President Robert DeBerardine (Johnson & Johnson). The format was new this year to provide guests with greater opportunities to network. The event kicked off with a welcome reception followed by the awards ceremony. This year, awards were given to:
Inspiration Award – Terrica Carrington, Copyright Alliance
IPO Education Foundation honored the first Inspiration Award this year to recognize outstanding achievements of those who have made a significant contribution by promoting or championing IP rights for, or on behalf of, members of underrepresented communities. The 2022 award winner was Terrica Carrington, VP, Legal Policy and Copyright Counsel, Copyright Alliance for her accomplishments to advocate for the value of diversity and inclusion within the copyright space. Additionally, the IPO Education Board recognized her leadership around the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act to support individuals and small businesses enforce their IP outside of federal court.
IP Champion – Gary Michelson, Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property
The IP Champion award recognized extraordinary leadership in advocating for the value of intellectual property to stimulate the progress of innovation. Dr. Gary Michelson is a prolific inventor and leader in advocating for the value of IP through speaking engagements as well as the activities under his 20 Million Minds Foundation umbrella. The Michelson Institute for IP offers free IP resources that have been adopted by over 350 institutions nationwide and in 2021, launched the HBCU IP Futures Collaborative to bring IP curriculum, resources, and grants to participating institutions.
Executive of the Year – Sanjay Mehrotra, Micron Technology
Sanjay Mehrotra, President and CEO of Micron was honored during the December 7 awards ceremony for his commitment to the creation, promotion, and protection of intellectual property. Mr. Mehrotra demonstrated this through his personal success as an inventor and executive, and his most recent accomplishments around the promotion of DEI in innovation and IP at Micron.
Inventors of the Year: Luke Haverhals and Aaron Amstuz, Natural Fiber Welding
The 49th Inventor of the Year Award was awarded to two individuals who are working to create a sustainable future by reducing textile waste. Luke Haverhals, CEO, and Aaron Amstutz, CTO, of Natural Fiber Welding invented a new class of novel, high performance, plant based circular materials, chemistries, and methods for producing sustainable solutions. Products such as CLARUS® allows innovators to turn virgin and recycled plant fibers into high-performance materials. MIRUM, a new leather like material, is plant-based and is perfect for footwear, fashion, and automotive and at the end of its life, it can be recycled into new MIRUM® or ground up and returned to the earth.
Following the awards ceremony guests enjoyed the main reception for networking and dinner. Thank you to everyone who supported this event by sponsoring or attending, photos from the event are available here. We were pleased to have over 300 friends of IPO Education Foundation in attendance. A full list of sponsors can be found on IPOEF.org. All proceeds from this event support Foundation programming to promote the value of IP. The Foundation is excited to share upcoming activities in the new year. For questions about the Foundation or how to get involved, please contact foundation@ipo.org.
IPOEF Board Members Teach Philadelphia Entrepreneurship Students about IP
IPO Education Foundation thanks IPOEF President, Robert DeBerardine, and IPOEF Board Member Ruben Munoz for visiting a Philadelphia high school classroom on November 30 to discuss the importance of intellectual property to entrepreneurship. Mr. Munoz said that the students had excellent questions and Mr. DeBerardine’s insights from his experience in the field were appreciated.
If you’re interested in hosting events like this in your community, let us know! IPO Education Foundation is seeking partnership opportunities to reach students grades 6-12 in 2023. For more information, please visit IPOEF.org or contact foundation@ipo.org.

Seeking Volunteers for January Event in DC Area

IPO Education Foundation is presenting to an eighth grade technology class in Olney, Maryland on January 12, 2023. Volunteers will be teaching students about intellectual property, how to create a business plan, and taking inventions from prototype to production. Students will be creating inventions to solve every day problems and IPOEF is looking for volunteer judges. The “Invention Fair” will be from 1-2pm ET on January 12. If you’re interested in volunteering for this in-person activity, please contact Foundation@ipo.org by January 6.

Seeking Volunteers for January Event in DC Area

IPO Education Foundation is presenting to an eighth grade technology class in Olney, Maryland on January 12, 2023. Volunteers will be teaching students about intellectual property, how to create a business plan, and taking inventions from prototype to production. Students will be creating inventions to solve every day problems and IPOEF is looking for volunteer judges. The “Invention Fair” will be from 1-2pm ET on January 12. If you’re interested in volunteering for this in-person activity, please contact Foundation@ipo.org by January 6.
World IP Day Event in Houston
In honor of the 2023 theme for World IP Day of “Women and IP: accelerating innovation and creativity” IPO Education Foundation is partnering with a high school in Houston, TX. IPOEF is seeking female volunteers to participate in an afternoon event to meet with high school girls to talk about careers in IP and innovation. This opportunity is not limited to IP attorneys. Please share with your innovation teams so we can ensure a diverse group of professionals. Additional details to be announced.
Interested in learning more? Sign up Here!
IPOEF Board Member Uses Foundation Resources to Facilitate Company’s Diversity Initiatives
IPO Education Foundation Board member Anjanette Lecher (Corning Inc.) wrote an article for IAM Magazine about her experiences at Corning and the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. In the article, Ms. Lecher explains how Corning draws from IPOEF resources to inspire next generation innovators and spread the importance of intellectual property. Corning has awarded over 70 patches to students in New York and North Carolina, using IPOEF’s IP Patch Program to teach underrepresented students about intellectual property. Corning, Inc. is also one of several IPO member companies that have signed the IPO-sponsored Diversity Pledge, which is a commitment by companies across the globe to address the issue of underrepresented inventors.
Visit IPOEF.org to access free materials to host an IP Patch event for youth in your area and visit the IPO Diversity & Inclusion Advocacy page to join IPO member companies in signing The Diversity Pledge.
The Importance of Starting IP Education Early
The season five finale of the Stroke of Genius podcast titled “Reading, Writing, and Intellectual Property?” discusses the importance of starting IP education early. Whether they realize it or not, the kids and teenagers of today live in an unprecedented age of IP. They’re surrounded by trademarked logos, copyrighted songs and characters, and patented products that they can’t live without. More young people are also creating content themselves thanks to the rise of social media sites like Instagram and TikTok.
Listen to this episode and more on your podcast platform of choice. IPO Education Foundation will be focusing efforts in 2023 to target students grades 6-12 about the importance of intellectual property. Stay tuned for more updates about IPOEF activities in 2023!
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