Back to Archived News
Greenberg Traurig LLP, Title Sponsor of the the 20th Annual Astounding Inventions Competition, Selects Winning Student
Friday, March 30, 2007
2007 Astounding Inventions Competition First Place Winners from
South Orange County, and their parents, gathered at a Celebratory Reception Thursday night in their honor
Costa Mesa, CA— – 3rd Grade First Place Division Winners who competed in the January 27th Astounding Inventions Competition and their parents attended a Celebratory Reception, hosted by the Orange County Office of Greenberg Traurig LLP, on Thursday, March 8th. There were over 130 guests in attendance, including VIPs from Irvine and Tustin Unified School Districts, School Board Members, VIPs from Irvine Valley College Foundation, and members of the Irvine City Council.
The evening began with a Press Conference, at which Greenberg Traurig officially announced the selection of the winning student, 3rd Grader Michelle Chow of Bonita Canyon Elementary School in Irvine. As the winning student, Michelle will receive a free patent search and provisional patent application from Greenberg Traurig for her winning invention, the Jell-l Dose.
“Greenberg Traurig has offered to step up and provide a free/pro bono patent search to help teach one of these talented local youngsters about the patent process,” stated Peter Gluck, one of Greenberg Traurig’s Orange County Patent Prosecution Specialists. “Our view is that by participating in patenting early on, later contributions to society and Orange County’s ongoing technological superiority may well be enhanced,” he continued.
Michelle Chow’s invention, the Jell-I Dose, is a system that combines sugar, water, and agar with a desired medication, forming a gelatin-like product that makes it easier and more pleasant for children to consume. The gelatin houses the medication in a ‘jelly bag,’ which children happily eat. Michelle’s younger sister served as her inspiration for creating the Jell-I Dose. She was too sick to ingest medicine, and Michelle helped overcome her refusal of this needed treatment with her idea. Michelle’s family is very supportive of her talent, and her father is an innovator in his own right in the stem cell space.
The Celebratory Reception at the Center Club following the Press Conference, honored all First Place 3rd Grade Division Winners in the competition and their parents. The Reception began with a warm greeting and introduction by Jeff Joy, Greenberg Traurig’s Administrative Shareholder, and Raymond Lee, Managing Shareholder. Peter Gluck, one of Greenberg Traurig’s Orange County Patent Prosecution Specialists, followed the introduction, and formally presented Michelle Chow with her award for her exceptional Jell-I Dose invention. An overjoyed Michelle came onstage with her parents to accept her award and to share a few brief words about her invention with the audience.
To conclude the event, all the children in attendance were invited to the podium to receive special recognition for their hard work throughout the competition. In addition, each student received a special gift on behalf of Greenberg Traurig.
“Greenberg Traurig is known for its unique entrepreneurial culture,” stated Raymond Lee, Managing Shareholder. “In keeping with that spirit, we were very happy to be the title sponsor of Astounding Inventions this year, and look forward to our continued involvement in working with Irvine Valley College and these clever young inventors,” he continued.
This year’s Astounding Inventions Competition began with nearly 4,000 students, Kindergarten through 8th Grade, participating at the school level from Irvine and Tustin Unified School Districts. Of these original participants from these two School Districts, close to 400 students went on to show their inventions in this competition. Due to the competitiveness of the program, only 117 students received First Prize Awards.
The Astounding Inventions Competition, now in its 20th year, was conceived by Irvine Valley College in 1987 to promote creativity and interest in mathematics and science education among area students. At a time when many schools are eliminating these valuable programs, Irvine Valley College Foundation saw the need to encourage young students to get involved in the sciences.
ABOUT GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with 1,600 attorneys and governmental affairs professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The firm is ranked seventh on The American Lawyer's Am Law 100 listing of the largest law firms in the U.S., based on number of lawyers.
Greenberg Traurig serves clients from offices in: Albany, NY; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Atlanta, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Morristown, NJ; New York, NY; Orange County, CA; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Sacramento, CA; Silicon Valley, CA; Tallahassee, FL; Tampa Bay, FL; Tokyo, Japan; Tysons Corner, VA; Washington, D.C.; West Palm Beach, FL; Wilmington, DE; and Zurich, Switzerland. Additionally, the firm has strategic alliances with the following independent law firms: Olswang, London and Brussels; Studio Santa Maria, Milan and Rome; and Hayabusa Kokusai Law Offices in Tokyo.
For additional information, please visit the firm's Web site at www.gtlaw.com.
Back to Archived News
