JAMES LILLIN
Staff Writer
On Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Kelly Family Auditorium in the Science Center, a panel of five will be discussing the lack of women in the field of invention, in part due to the fact that women register far fewer patents and trademarks than their male counterparts.
The panel will be headed by Mindy Bickel, the associate commissioner for Innovation Development at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Washington D.C. She will speak on an outreach program designed by USPTO to increase women’s involvement in the field of invention, and to encourage women to begin to take more credit for their inventions.
Jeffry Iovannone, the head of the Women and Gender Studies program, will also be speaking about the theories that contribute to the lack of women’s participation in the field of intellectual property protection.
Also speaking will be Stuart Shapiro from Fredonia’s Department of Applied Professional Studies, who will share his legal expertise on women in the workplace and work for hire.
Rounding out the panel will be Trademark Attorney Ellen Simpson and Patent Attorney Robert Simpson, who will share their experiences working with women registering trademarks and patents.
The program is co-sponsored by the Women’s Student Union, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Applied Professional Studies. The program is free and open to the public.