I don’t know if this can really be considered News, but below is a copy of one of the pics in the US Patent Office 2007 Performance and Accountability Report
Helping the Next Generation — Patent Commissioner John Doll and Deputy Patent Commissioner Peggy Focarino confer with William Dondero, patent examiner and mentor for the Hayfield Robotics Team, at a “For Inspiration and
Recognition of Science and Technology,” (or FIRST) regional competition. The USPTO works with FIRST and many other nonprofit organizations to encourage young people to become interested in math, science, and innovation.
Can anyone identify the team?
The section can be found at (for those of you really interested in patent statistics and quality, which I’m sur eis a limited number)
FRC 0614, Hayfield Secondary School Robotics Club, Alexandria, VA.
How I found it: That’s team 75 in the background. Find events they attended, then search the team list for Hayfield. The event in question? Chesapeake Regional.
There was quite the line-up of VIP’s at the Chesapeake in 2007, including many from the USPTO.
Also attending from the USPTO were: the Director, Jon W. Dudas - Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property;
John Calvert, Administrator, Inventors Assistance Program, USPTO
Kathie Kirik Program Analyst, Office of the Commissioner for Patents, USPTO
and Nancy Le, Office of Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations.
And sorry, the climbing wall is completely off-limits. :eek: