Students at Mira Loma High School have created The Coolar, an innovative dog collar that measures sidewalk temperatures. It sends alerts straight to the owners’ smartphones, helping protect dogs’ paws. On October 1st, they joined The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property and speakers from the California Intellectual Property Alliance (CAIPA) to share their journey with intellectual property (IP) tools.
Key takeaways from the discussion included:
How High Schoolers Save Dogs’ Paws
Shreya Srikanth and Jeeva Karthy, part of the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam, developed the Smart Collars for Temperature Detection. Their collar monitors sidewalk temperatures to safeguard dogs’ paw pads. This idea rose to the top from 20 pages of concepts based on feasibility, impact, and innovation.
Karthy explained their invention process: “[We went through] a lot of variations of the reactions to our ideas. From, wow, this is super cool to, ‘wait a minute: how are we going to do this?’ to brainstorming, prototyping, and revising.”
The Value of Pairing Patent Attorneys with Students
Collaboration between the Mira Loma Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam and Mark Montague, head attorney at Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, P.C., proved invaluable. Montague noted, “You [the student] have to have done your homework to know what you are talking about, and it shows that all of you did.” He emphasized the students’ strong preparation and their persistence to get the application just right. Montague went on to say that whether in inventing or filing a patent application, it is unlikely you will get anything right the first time—and that’s okay.
The students were immensely appreciate of Montague’s guidance. As Karthy shared, “[Montague] explained everything in an intuitive way that we could understand. I thought it would be super complicated, but Montague explained it well.” Srikanth added, “It was so intuitive, and the way it was structured just made sense. It didn’t seem as hard as we always thought it would be.”
The Intangible Benefits of Harnessing the Power of IP
Applying for a patent boosted Srikanth’s confidence in her leadership skills and improved her college applications. She felt that the program helped her come out of her shell and learn that she was much more capable than she thought she was. The experience also allowed Karthy to apply the problem-solving skills in unexpected ways.
Building off of this experience, Montague encourages attorneys to use their work to collaborate with high schoolers to help them as students. Not only does it boost the confidence of students, but also the collaboration offers significant lessons, such as one the skill of applying for patents.
The School’s Experience with the Lemelson-MIT Program
Before the webinar, Franco Canet, a Science Teacher at Mira Loma High School, spoke with Chinwe Ohanele Agwu, Senior Program Manager for The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property. They discussed how the students benefited from the Lemelson-MIT program.
Canet shared how the Lemelson-MIT Invention Program has had a profound impact on students, transforming their confidence and igniting their passion for science and engineering. This year’s invention team, comprised of Shreya Srikanth, Jeeva Karthy, Krish Ambalam Jagadish, Alyssa Tran, Nicholas Munkhbaatar, and Avery Marchesseault, stands as a testament to the transformative experience.
Looking back to prior years, two students in particular stood out as examples of how IP education can impact the trajectory of a student’s life. One alum, now a first-year bioengineering student at the University of California, Berkeley, reflected on their journey through the InvenTeam program.
They discovered that the experience shaped their thought process as an inventor and leader. “Being part of an InvenTeam helped me develop my thought process as an inventor, a team member, and a leader. I became more comfortable messing up while trying to solve problems and using those mistakes as opportunities to improve part of an invention or process, all while learning something along the way.” The student went on to reflect on how it helped them “adapt to the people you’re working with, [and] widened my perspective by enlarging the figurative toolbox I can pull from when approaching tasks.” These are skills that the student took into college and beyond.
Another success story comes from a first-year biomedical engineering student at the University of California, Irvine. This alumnus recalls the skills and insights gained during the 2023 InvenTeam program. “Starting from scratch, I quickly learned how difficult brainstorming and ideating is,” they noted. The program pushed them to think critically, fostering essential problem-solving skills.
In addition to those skills, the student gained leadership experience, “Having to plan our first public showing of our product (the Mid-Grant Technical Review), I learned how to be a leader, community organizer, and event planner. To see our community come out and support our invention was a moment I will always remember.”
Additionally, they gained a practical understanding of the invention process, learning how to write patents and work alongside lawyers, which deepened their appreciation for intellectual property. As they step into their college journey, they carry forward this newfound skill set, ready to tackle challenges in their clubs and classes, and eager to navigate the exciting world of innovation.
Mira Loma High School continues to inspire with its innovative spirit and commitment to learning. Keep an eye on these young inventors!
The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property, an initiative of the Michelson 20MM Foundation, provides access to empowering IP education for budding inventors and entrepreneurs. Michelson 20MM was founded thanks to the generous support of renowned spinal surgeon Dr. Gary K. Michelson and Alya Michelson. To learn more, visit 20mm.org.