at the uspto we are proud of the close partnership we have with the u.s chamber
and its members the chamber has been a strong advocate for business innovation
and entrepreneurship and i look forward to our continued work
together especially as we work to expand opportunities
in innovation for all americans today's conference comes just two weeks after we
launched the national council for expanding american innovation
this historic initiative resulted from the uspto's work on the 2018 success act
report which found that women and minorities
are underrepresented as inventors named on u.s granted patents
in that report we recommended the creation of a high-level council
of industry academic and government leaders to help craft the national
strategy for increasing participation of
underrepresented groups in us innovation this is precisely what we are now
implementing our country needs more innovators more
entrepreneurs and many more innovation leaders the
creation of the new council for expanding american innovation is one
of the most important initiatives the u.s patent and trademark office
has undertaken in the last 30 years and we have been extremely pleased by
the overwhelming response to its september launch i was truly
inspired by the earnest and enthusiastic discussions that took place during that
inaugural meeting you can learn more about visiting our
national council website at uspto.gov expanding american
innovation the bottom line is this in today's
highly competitive global economy it's critical that all americans willing
to work hard persevere and take risks have the opportunity to innovate to
start new companies to succeed in established companies and
ultimately to achieve the american dream to that
end we must expand the innovation ecosystem demographically
economically and geographically demographically we know from the uspto's
recent progress and potential report that women make up only 13 percent of
inventors named on us patents the numbers are improving but there is
so much more that needs to be done likewise the engagement of minorities in
the american innovation enterprise is not where it needs to be and by an
even greater margin moreover individuals in economically
disadvantaged areas are also underrepresented in the
innovation economy and geographically those located far
from the country's major technology hubs are also not participating nearly to the
same extent all of this must change innovation is
driving every aspect of the economy and our lives and it is innovation that
will solve the major problems confronting humanity
including eradication of the coronavirus innovation can be the great equalizer
with broader opportunities in the innovation ecosystem
more americans can partake of its great benefits
recent studies show that by harnessing the creative talent of all americans
we could quadruple the number of inventors and increase the overall level
of u.s gdp per capita by up to 4.4 percent
innovation can also be the great unifier it's part of the american character and
we can all get behind it once again just as we did in the 19th century with
the american invention of the telegraph electricity and telephone and just as we
did in the 20th century with the american invention of the airplane
internet biotechnology gps and so much more
innovation can bring us together and we can all get behind it
as we did when the united states put men on the moon some 50 years ago
we're a nation of risk takers and problem solvers
we're a people whose curiosity imagination and productive perseverance
have changed the world we can all get behind innovation once again
i'm asking all of you to join me in this effort
a national call to promote innovation everywhere
and with everyone quite simply in this hyper competitive global economy
we need all hands on deck our country has taken on great challenges in the
past and we can do it again but we need your
help we need you to help inspire all
americans from all walks of life and from across the entire land
to participate in our innovation ecosystem we need you to help mentor the
next generation and encourage them to unleash their creative talents
and we need your help to find and promote role models
that the next generation can identify with and can look up to
one such remarkable role model is joining us today
dr marianne rogers croak dr crowe's groundbreaking work in voice over ip
technology has been instrumental in allowing us to stay connected these
past months and frankly for a long time prior in fact dr croak
has received or applied for more than 100 patents on voice over ip technology
and allowing sound to transmit as data over optical and cellular networks
her innovations make online conferences such as this possible
dr croak also invented a text to donate technology
after hurricane katrina allowing americans to donate to charitable
organizations by typing a simple text she has spent
more than three decades developing advanced technologies for voice and data
networks and the internet all in all she holds
more than 200 patents across various technologies
we are honored to recognize her contributions to american society
and to the world in all of my conversations with inventors and
innovators i have been struck by one recurring
theme when asked where they found their inspiration
their answer is strikingly similar a parent
a teacher a mentor it was someone who believed in them
who gave them a nudge and told them that they can do it
the impact of a mentor cannot be overstated
as dr croak recently shared the more role models that people have
the more inspired they are to understand that they are capable of doing
anything dr croak is that role model to countless individuals who look to her
as an example of making any the impossible possible
she's a visionary who makes the unknown real and she helps
others visualize and realize their own dreams
in recognition of the achievements she has made as an innovator
and as a role model for the next generation of inventors
i am proud to announce that we are adding dr marianne rogers croak
to our uspto inventor trading card series
these cards recognize a wide variety of patent holders from many diverse
backgrounds they are distributed by the uspto to
students teachers and parents at education and
outreach events throughout the country i'm pleased to
note that they have become extremely popular and collectible
they are introducing future inventors to the vast array of technologies that they
are that are available to them to pursue and
to those current and past inventors who inspire them to do so we are excited
to add dr crow to this illustrious group of
inventors we will be hearing from dr croak
momentarily but first it's with great pleasure that i now unveil
dr marianne rogers crooks inventor cards
thank you director yonko i am thrilled to be here i'll go virtually
with all of you today i feel deeply honored by
being represented on an indentured trading card
i think it's really important that students understand that inventors
are people just like themselves the card makes that reality
so tangible and visible i think it's just brilliant
i i also believe that the card and so much of the work that i see this team
doing will stimulate students to develop their own sense of curiosity
and creativity and that's really where the journey
begins you know they can then start exploring what they can do
to change the world around them through invention
i often get the opportunity to talk to students and
i just see their faces light up when they begin to understand that
many of the problems that the world faces the most daunting
challenging ones may be resolved through inventions that they can create
they are so hungry for information and education
about invention they're also delighted to learn
that there's no one path to invention that
the creativity that is often required for
invention can begin by just exposing yourself to a diversity of
experiences different cultures different languages
different perspectives and all the various uh forms of science
and arts those all can be the pathway
to that spark that causes you to see the world in a completely different way
they're also quite interested to learn that
they can not only improve and make the world better through invention
but they can also enrich their own careers and pathways to success
i'm very inspired by the work the organization is doing
and i would just ask you to please continue
the work that is outlined in the success report
and continue to encourage all of us in education
industry government and even parents to work collectively to help students
understand that invention may be the key to making the world a better place so
thank you again i deeply appreciate this honor
thank you for those words marianne you inspire all of us with your perseverance
passion and vision i'm excited that so many of our school children and young
adults will be able to collect your card read
about your accomplishments and be inspired by your example and to
all of you watching this program we're asking you to help us spread the
word about dr croak and make sure boys and girls and young
adults across america know her name and her amazing work and
help us spread the word about all of our great inventors
requests for our inventor trading cards can be sent to
education at uspto.gov or you can download them from the kids
pages of our website i also invite you to visit our website
at uspto.gov and read our journeys of innovation are
the codes every month with inspiring stories about inspiring
inventors this month we are featuring dr croak
please also check our website for information about our upcoming speaker
series with dr croak where i will have the
privilege to engage with her in a one-on-one discussion again
thank you to the us chamber of commerce for inviting me to be with you today
and for allowing me to showcase the incredible contributions
of one of our most remarkable innovators and thank you all for the important work
you do every day for innovation and the american economy
you