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The Rights of Inventors: Patents in Society

CALL FOR POSTERS:

The University Libraries at Virginia Tech is calling for academic posters by undergraduate students to develop posters about connections between patents and society, which will be presented in a showcase on November 12, 2025.  Starting with our kick-off on September 17th (Constitution Day), four workshops (listed on the homepage) will be presented to help you develop your poster.  Posters will be printed free for students by the libraries, so sign up to participate in this undergraduate research opportunity by October 31st: https://calendar.lib.vt.edu/event/14927616.

Specifically posters will:

  1. Discuss one invention that received a US patent. The invention must be closely associated with Virginia and must also be related to agriculture AND
  2. Show the societal need: influences that led to the patent OR the impact or consequences of the patent.

Why patents?  This poster showcase is the capstone of this year’s recognition of Constitution Day, which Congress established to encourage knowledge and reflection about constitutional principles.  The US Constitution recognizes the property rights of inventors and authors to their work and their contributions to progress by empowering Congress to create national laws for patents and copyright (Art. 1, Sec. 8, cl. 8).  In fact, the rights of inventors and authors are the only rights actually named as rights in the original Constitution of 1787.

Why patents + Virginia + agriculture?  Our University Libraries have lots of resources and expert librarians to support research in those fields!  We serve as a US Patent and Trademark Resource Center, have been a Federal Depository Library since 1907, and we support Agricultural Research Extension Centers across the state.

Poster Requirements:
  1. Title
  2. Author Name, email and department (individual research)
  3. Abstract: 50-100 words
  4. Keywords: 3-5 words that are important and specific to your poster’s topic (patent and agriculture too general for example)
  5. Content comprising of the patent and interpretation including:
    1. Invention that has a US granted patent related to Virginia and agriculture
    2. Social need including: community/society served/helped, why invention was a good idea at the time, problems solved
    3. Consequences: what were the consequences/influence of the invention in Virginia
  6. A picture, infographic, or visual representation: should be relevant to the content and have a citation (if published) or attributed (if created by you or unpublished)
  7. References: at least 3 references cited in the style recognized in your discipline or APA 7th Edition. Ask if you have questions. These 3 references must include:
    1. Patent reference
    2. Government publication, not just a general government webpage
    3. Popular news source
  8. Suggested Content (not required):
    1. Acknowledgements: you may consult with fellow students, professors, librarians, etc., but they must be listed in the acknowledgement box.
    2. Illustrations/Pictures: patent documentation, societal need that inspired the patent
    3. Additional references: creative works (including media), primary sources/first-hand accounts from before/during/after invention implementation

We highly recommend using our University Libraries poster template as it is sized correctly for our poster boards.  If you would like to use another design from your discipline or elsewhere, make sure it matches the requirements in the template.

Poster reviewing will take place online (asynchronously) and in-person during the showcase.  Posters will be uploaded to VTechWorks for reviewing (see next tab) and to be part of a digital collection of posters for Constitution Day.

VTechWorks Upload:

(Complete by November 7th, 11:59 PM Eastern)

  1. Register for a VTechWorks account with your VT email
  2. Log into VTechWorks with your username and password.
  3. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and choose "My VTechWorks" from the menu. You will then be taken to a page entitled "Your Submissions."
  4. At the top of your submissions page, click the plus icon next to the hyperlinked message that reads "Drag & drop your files here, or browse." A list of collections that you have access to will appear.
  5. Choose the collection you want from the menu: Student Works (https://hdl.handle.net/10919/10194)
  6. You will then be taken to a form that asks you to upload your file and provide information about your submission.  Make sure to:
    1. Fill in the correct metadata for your poster (Title, name, etc.)
    2. Upload the correct file
    3. Check that the above information is correct
  7. Submit the permalink URL via this form for reviewing.
Summary of steps to participate (all deadlines 11:59 PM):
  1. Sign up to participate with your abstract by October 31st
  2. Develop you poster, meeting the requirements above
  3. Upload to VTechWorks by 7 November. Share the link to your poster back to the organizers by filling out this form.
  4. Present on November 12th. Reviewers' comments will be sent after the poster showcase.
Questions?  Contact those listed on this page!