GETTING THEM WHILE THEY'RE YOUNG: Joan DeLuca teaches a class at Saint Andrew's School called Frontiers in Science and Technology, where students learn to think like inventors while learning. In the class, students are taught the five types of intellectual property: Patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and contracts. The big project of the year involves students in groups of three developing a new idea. Groups will submit an idea, research it, and make a presentation to a patent committee on Dec. 3, at which they will tell the what, why and how of their idea. The law firm of Fleit, Kain, Gibbons, Gutman & Bongini in Boca Raton, will donate their time to file a patent application for the best idea from the class.

Three recent graduates of St. Andrew’s School of Boca Raton, Fla., received a patent for an item that would eliminate the need for thirsty athletes to tip the ubiquitous orange water coolers to get the last drop.

I think this is a phenomenal idea - it raises early awareness of patents and the patent system, and gets budding entrepreneurs early exposure to what is arguably one of the most important business tools in today's technological economy.