Join the United States Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) Office of Education and the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO Derrick Brent for a fireside chat on October 25, 2022, 6-7:30 p.m. ET, with 2019 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) awardee Jordan Estock on how to teach students to solve real-world problems in the classroom.
Jordan Estock teaches Product Design and Development, Engineering Team Practicum, and Senior Engineering Design Lab to 9th-12th grade students at Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware. Jordan focuses on “authentic learning” to help his students develop real-world problem solving skills. He is a 2019 PAEMST recipient, which is the highest civilian award for a K-12 STEM educator.
Jordan's engineering students design assistive technological devices to benefit the lives of people living with disabilities. In his TEDx talk, Jordan speaks about the importance of “authentic learning” and shares stories of some of his students’ life-changing work. In one example, he explains how they assisted a young girl with cerebral palsy to play the viola with her classmates despite her physical challenges.
Jordan is a champion of diversity in STEM education and encourages his students to focus on how invention and design can be used to help others and benefit society. Jordan’s students were named back-to-back national champions in the Source America Design Challenge and were national finalists in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Competition. Following Jordan’s leadership and authentic teaching, his students received a $10,000 grant from Lemelson-MIT. With help from the Patent Pro Bono program at Widener University law school, the team applied for and received U.S. Patent No. 9,715,030. By connecting students with local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community members, Jordan is inspiring students from all walks of life to make a difference in their communities.
The USPTO hosts monthly virtual professional development webinars for K-12 educators interested in integrating intellectual property (IP), innovation, and invention activities into their STEM/STEAM curriculum. Whether you’re a school administrator, teacher, student, or caregiver, you are welcome to join us every month to hear from educators and learn about different types of IP, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. These sessions can help inspire a classroom of problem solvers and/or advance careers. Sessions are held on the last Tuesday of each month from 6-7:30 p.m. ET.
Visit the USPTO's Office of Education page or email education@uspto.gov to learn more.