How Dreams Materialize
Luke Blackadar, John Kirkpatrick, and Eric Rosenbaum
October 16, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Aeronaut Brewery, 14 Tyler Street, Somerville, MA
Inspired by Pagan Kennedy’s marvelous book, Inventology: How We Dream Up Things That Change the World, Luke Blackadar, Director of Legal Services, Arts and Business Council, Patent Pro Bono Administrator, John Kirkpatrick, and researcher, inventor, and musician Eric Rosenbaum offered a behind-the-scenes look at how an idea begins as a seed, how it takes hold and is eventually brought into a reality. This was the first ever Catalyst Conversations program that included a lawyer. It was a great way to see how the intersection of many fields and participants created something new.
Luke Blackadar, Director of Legal Services, Arts and Business Council
As Director of Legal Services, Luke manages the Arts & Business Council’s Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and Patent Pro Bono programs. A visual artist himself, Luke is committed to supporting artists and creative entrepreneurs. Luke counsels start-up, small, and creative businesses on trademark, copyright, nonprofit, and for-profit business matters. Prior to joining the Arts & Business Council, Luke was a professional liability defense attorney, representing architects and engineers in malpractice lawsuits.
John Kirkpatrick, Patent Pro-bono Administrator, United States Patent and Trademark Office
Mr. Kirkpatrick joined the Office of Enrollment Discipline (OED) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office as Staff Attorney in 2016. As a member of the Patent Pro Bono Team, he is dedicated to making sure that all inventors have access to the patent system, including those who are financially under-resourced. He works with patent pro bono programs across the nation to guarantee pro bono coverage in all 50 states pursuant to the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA).
Previously, Mr. Kirkpatrick served as a Primary Patent Examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and was employed by a private intellectual property firm. Mr. Kirkpatrick received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University and graduated, cum laude, from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. He is a member of the Virginia Bar.
Eric Rosenbaum, Musician & Open Source Inventor
Eric designs for creative play. He says that “My tools are all about bringing your imagination to life by helping you make things you care about. I love to see how using my tools can transform people's sense of what they can make and who they can become.” Eric works with the Scratch Team at MIT Media Lab. He has also contributed to projects at Google Creative Lab and NYU Music Experience Design Lab. In 2015, he completed his PhD at MIT Media Lab in the Lifelong Kindergarten group with a dissertation entitled "Explorations in Musical Tinkering." Prior to receiving his PhD, he worked at MIT Teacher Education Program, creating learning games; Concord Consortium, creating molecular dynamics simulations for kids; and Six Red Marbles, creating animations for music education. Eric holds a Master's in Technology in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Bachelor's in Psychology and Mind/Brain/Behavior from Harvard College. Eric plays the trombone with the Opposite People.