Presented by Dr. Sequoyah Wharton, Interdisciplinary Educator, Brentwood High School (NY); Stephanie Klixbull, Elementary STEM Education Specialist, K-8, Penn State University; and Dr. Jorge Valdes, Education Advisor, United States Patent and Trademark Office
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Are you interested in learning about the USPTO’s free National Summer Teacher Institute (NSTI) and how it can help you engage with your students about innovation, intellectual property (IP), and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)?
View this edWebinar with the USPTO’s Office of Education for an information session about NSTI. NSTI alumni Stephanie Klixbull and Dr. Sequoyah Wharton share about their experiences and discuss new strategies you can use with your students using invention and intellectual property education. In addition to hearing from Stephanie and Sequoyah, the USPTO’s Office of Education guides viewers through the 2025 NSTI application process.
What is NSTI? The NSTI program, put on by the USPTO’s Office of Education, is designed to help teachers inspire the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs using experiential training tools, practices, and project-based learning models. The program is open to eligible K-12 teachers nationwide.
About the Presenters
Dr. Sequoyah Wharton is a passionate educator, leader, and innovator who leverages creativity-focused strategies to inspire students and educators alike. With expertise in media literacy, Dr. Wharton recently filed a provisional application for patent following inspiration gained during the USPTO NSTI this past summer and is currently preparing a non-provisional patent application. Dr. Wharton actively integrates intellectual property education into curriculum development and project-based learning. Recognized for his innovative approach to pedagogy, Dr. Wharton has spearheaded initiatives that blend intellectual property concepts with interdisciplinary learning, crafting strategies that empower students to think like creators and problem-solvers in a global context. His work bridges practical innovation with educational theory, positioning him as a leader in forward-thinking education.
Stephanie Klixbull is an international, national, and state award-winning educator for STEM education. She taught for over nine years in the elementary classroom teaching PreK-3-5th grade in South Carolina where she was awarded State Teacher of the Year, 2019 from the SC Independent School Association. Stephanie left the classroom in 2021 to relocate to Washington, D.C. for a national fellowship, Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship. Stephanie was placed with the Department of Defense–Navy. During her fellowship, she wrote STEM elementary curricula and provided science professional development for educators. She is now in State College, PA where she works at Penn State, in the College of Education, promoting STEM education statewide in the K-8 space for teachers and students.
Dr. Jorge L. Valdes is Education Advisor at the United States Patent and Trademark Office where he is focused on increasing Intellectual Property knowledge through education, outreach and collaborations with a broad range of stakeholders including development of professional development programs for educators nationally. Prior to his role in government, Dr. Valdes held leadership positions at AT&T Bell Labs and received the E.O. Lawrence Laureate award from the U.S. Department of Energy on behalf of the President of the United States for pioneering work in reagent generation technology. Dr. Valdes received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and has an MBA from Northwestern Kellogg School of Business. He holds 33 U.S. patents and has published over 100 research papers in science and technology.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
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