International exchange: Promoting the inclusion of women in intellectual property; United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), November 16, 2021 4 PM - 6 PM ET

 United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); International exchange: Promoting the inclusion of women in intellectual property

"Studies of patent data conducted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and others have shown that women inventors are significantly underrepresented in the patent system worldwide. Despite an increased number of women entering the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in recent years, there is still a large gap between the number of women entering these fields and men. This has led to fewer women participating in the intellectual property (IP) system overall.

Register today to hear presentations by representatives of IP offices from around the world, who will discuss these trends and explain how some countries have succeeded in increasing the participation rate of women in their IP systems. Topics will include:

• Strategies for increasing the participation of women in the IP system
• How to recruit, retain, and promote women in IP fields

You will hear from leading officials from the USPTO, IP Australia, the Canadian IP Office, the IP Office of the Philippines, the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, the IP Office of New Zealand, the Industrial Property Protection Directorate of Jordan, and other national offices."

Citizen Science Lab sets off STEAM-abration; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 8/16/16

Atiya Irvin-Mitchell, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Citizen Science Lab sets off STEAM-abration:

"Fast forward a few decades to Mr. Samuel as a 44-year-old. He has a doctorate in biology and has studied genomics and bioinformatics. He’s looking for children with an interest in math and science who aren’t satisfying it in classrooms with textbooks. He’s pretty sure they would enjoy the Citizen Science Lab’s first STEAM-abration event on Saturday at the Energy Innovation Center in the Hill District.

No, STEAM is not a typographical error. It reflects the inclusion of the arts with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Although not everyone is convinced that the arts have a place among the sciences, Mr. Samuel, the lab’s director, very much is.

“The notion that art doesn’t belong in STEM is absolutely ridiculous. If you’re painting, you’re using chemistry. These things all go together,” he said...

He’s pleased to see an emphasis on finding and nurturing an interest in the sciences to keep up with innovations and create qualified workers in STEM industries. Yet he says that women and people of color are still underrepresented in most STEM programs...

Go to steamabration.eventbrite.com for free tickets to Citizen Science Lab’s STEAM-abration on Saturday [August 20, 2016] at the Energy Innovation Center, 1435 Bedford Ave., 15219."

What Pinterest is learning from the Pittsburgh Steelers about diversity; Forbes, 7/30/15

Laura Lorenzetti, Forbes; What Pinterest is learning from the Pittsburgh Steelers about diversity:

"“We think one reason it’s been so hard to get numbers to change is that companies haven’t stated specific goals,” wrote co-founder Evan Sharp in a blog post.

Pinterest laid out its diversity goals for 2016, including boosting hiring rates for full-time engineering roles to 30% women and 8% underrepresented ethnic backgrounds.

Also in the list of goals is implementing a standard that’s similar to something known as the Rooney Rule, named after Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and chairman of the National Football League’s diversity committee. The Rooney Rule requires all NFL teams to interview minority candidates as part of the hiring process for head coaches and senior football operation jobs.

The rule was implemented in 2003 following the firings of head coaches Tony Dungy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dennis Green of the Minnesota Vikings, despite both coaches having impressive winning records. Around that same time, a study came out that revealed that black head coaches, despite winning a higher percentage of games, were less likely to be hired (and more likely fired) than their white counterparts. Only three years after its implementation, the share of black head coaches had grown to 22% from 6% prior to the rule."