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WHO:
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The three teams of middle-school students from FIRST®
LEGO® League that won this year's Global
Innovation Award will be honored at ceremony hosted by United
States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). The first-place winner,
an all-girl team from Ames, Iowa, will receive $20,000 by the X
PRIZE Foundation to apply toward patenting their invention of
a prosthetic hand device, which has already improved the life of
toddler born without fingers on the dominant hand.
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The Global
Innovation Award Winning
Teams:
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-- First Place Winner: The Flying Monkeys invented a prosthetic
hand device enabling users with limb abnormalities to hold,
stabilize, or secure items
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-- Runner-Up: The 4th Motor of
East Troy, Wis., invented a non-invasive glucose monitoring
device for kids with diabetes; uses RFID technology and
microchips to eliminate finger pricking
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-- Runner-Up: Blue Gear Ticks of Lincoln, Mass., invented
an unfurling bio-absorbable arterial stent that expands
upon demand as children grow
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Speakers:
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-- David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual
Property and Director of the United States Patent & Trademark Office
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-- Robert K. Weiss, Vice Chairman and President, X
PRIZE Foundation
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-- Dean
Kamen, Iconic Inventor and Founder of FIRST®
(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
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WHAT:
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The annual Global
Innovation Award, presented by the X PRIZE Foundation, in
collaboration with the USPTO, offers teams an opportunity to
further develop and submit ideas stemming from their FIRST®
LEGO® League research projects.
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This Year
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-- The X PRIZE Foundation sponsored award to foster team innovation
through incentivized competition
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-- Biomedical engineering entries from nearly 16 countries were
received; Nearly 400,000 votes were cast
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WHEN & WHERE:
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-- June 16, 2011:
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10:30 a.m. - 11:30: Award ceremony (speakers, trophies, check
presentation, kid panel discussion)
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11:30 a.m. - 12:20: Interview opportunities (FIRST® LEGO®
League team members and representatives from FIRST®, the
X-PRIZE Foundation, USPTO, and LEGO®)
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-- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office,
Madison Building/Lower Level, 600 Dulany St.; Alexandria, Va.
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WHY:
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The Global
Innovation Award encourages FIRST® LEGO® League kids to
practice creative problem-solving, a crucial skill in addressing
complex, real-world issues. The award ceremony celebrates winning
teams' creativity, compassion, and innovation. Global
Innovation Award: http://fllinnovationaward.firstlegoleague.org/
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VISUALS OF KIDS:
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-- Toddler with limb abnormality will be present at event with FIRST®
LEGO® League kids who enabled her to hold a pencil and draw
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-- Kid inventor panel - members from all three FIRST® LEGO®
League teams reveal paths to innovation
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-- X PRIZE Foundation presents $20,000 to winning team to enable
members to patent their invention
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