July 11, 2003
#03-20

USPTO Director to Visit Camp Invention

Patent and Trademark Office Director to Visit Camp Invention

Students Learn Value of Intellectual Property and the Role of the Patent and Trademark System

Monday, July 14, 2003
2:30 p.m.
Stratford Landing Elementary School
8484 Riverside Road
Alexandria, VA

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) James E. Rogan will visit Camp Invention on Monday, July 14, 2003, between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m. at the Stratford Landing Elementary School. The school is located at 8484 Riverside Road in Alexandria, VA.

Camp Invention, cosponsored by the USPTO and the National Inventors Hall of Fame, is a nationwide educational outreach program designed to give children entering grades two through six an alternative to traditional classroom experiences. The weeklong day camp builds on a child's innate curiosity and intuition about the way things work. Emphasis is placed on the creative process that leads to problem solving, discovery and invention. Camp Invention's purpose is to stimulate the imaginations of America's next generation of inventors. In sessions such as “I Can Invent,” campers take apart old appliances and use the parts to create their own inventions. Then they simulate the process of applying for a patent. The thought-provoking learning experience is a fun way to teach young people the importance of respecting people’s intellectual property just as they would any tangible property and how the patent and trademark system works to support our economy.

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