Creating opportunities for young people to learn about patents by introducing invention education and IP literacy is an important part of STEM learning.
Lauren Strechay and Nicolette Buonora, recently graduated high school students, developed the Battery Swap System as their solution in a classroom challenge. After continued iteration, their Battery Swap System was recognized at the US National Invention Convention, earning a patent sponsorship and a finalist award, propelling Lauren and Nicolette to the global convention and ultimately a USPTO patent approval.
From the US Patent and Trademark Office, Juan Valentin is an education program advisor in the USPTO's Students and Learners Division in the Office of Public Engagement, where he is responsible for the development and implementation of educational projects of national and international scope, with a particular emphasis on directing and coordinating the development of STEM, design-thinking, or invention-focused projects infused with intellectual property (IP) concepts. A significant part of Juan's job is cultivating relationships and finding areas for collaboration with external organizations, academic institutions, and federal agencies.

Prior to joining the Students and Learners Division, Juan was a patent examiner at the USPTO for 12 years, specializing in the art of optical measuring and testing devices. Juan holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Clarkson University.

Resources & Opportunities mentioned by Juan:

• Kids, students, and educators | USPTO
• National Summer Teacher Institute | USPTO
• EquIPHQ (uspto.gov)
• Master Teacher of Invention and Intellectual Property Education Program (MTIP) | USPTO

Learn more about Lauren & Nicolette's Battery Swap invention in this news story

Connect with The USPTO:

• Website: uspto.gov
• email: education@uspto.gov
• Twitter/X: @uspto
• YouTube: @USPTOvideo
• Facebook: facebook.com/uspto.gov
• Instagram: @uspto

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
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Tara Koehler and John Sammon have been educators in New York for over 20 years. From their roles in classrooms to their current roles as instructional coaches, they don't lead from the sidelines. They get right in the game with the teachers to help them incorporate STEM, STEAM, and PBL in practical and efficient ways.
In addition to their classroom work, they provide PD with STEAM learning, steammachinepd.com, and just wrote a book outlining their best ideas for PBL,

The Tapas Approach to Project Based Learning, presents an innovative perspective on PBL by advocating a 'small bites' methodology. This approach emphasizes the benefits of breaking down complex educational concepts and processes into manageable, digestible segments, much like enjoying a variety of tapas in a meal.

Tara says "students learn best by doing rather than being told, and learning is not one-size-fits-all. Students should be actively engaged in their learning." John agrees, "my intentions are to deepen understanding through authentic learning experiences, where children engage with fundamental questions about the world and how humans have investigated and found answers to those questions."

Connect with Tara & Mike:

• Website: pbltapas.com
• Website for their PD: steammachinepd.com
• Twitter/X: @steammachinepd
• Twitter/X for John: @SammonSTEAM
• Twitter/X for Tara: @TKtalksSTEAM

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
• Twitter/X: @dailystem
• Instagram: @dailystem
• YouTube: @dailystem

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

Support the Show.

Mike Cairns is a creator & innovator. His career in drones took a quick turn one day at home. His son showed him a character he called "Ninja Gator" made with popsicle sticks and tape. An idea was sparked. “Why don't we make a connector system so you can build and reuse craft sticks without glue or tape!?”

Nurcs became that connector. Inexpensive & reusable, these small plastic connectors allow kids and adults alike to build bigger things than they have ever built before. After hundreds of prototypes and many long hours, they finalizes the proper proportions and settled on six standard pieces that allow people to build many different combinations of structures (and over seventy other combination pieces that may make their way into expansion sets down the road). The possibilities are endless and the quality is long lasting with this Made in the USA STEM resource.

Connect with Mike & Nurcs:

• Website: nurcs.com
• Twitter/X: @nurcstoy
• Facebook: @nurcstoy
• Instagram: @nurcstoy
• YouTube: @nurcstoy

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
• Twitter/X: @dailystem
• Instagram: @dailystem
• YouTube: @dailystem

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

Support the Show.