Fuentek Representatives to Serve as Judge and Inspector at NCFIRST Robotics Competition

President Laura Schoppe and Senior Technology Transfer Consultant Danielle McCulloch Support Science and Engineering Tournament

Apex, NC, March 30, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Fuentek, LLC (http://www.fuentek.com/) has announced that president Laura A. Schoppe has been selected to judge the NCFIRST Robotics Competition Regional Tournament and that Danielle McCulloch, senior technology transfer consultant for the company, has been selected to serve as a robot inspector for the tournament. The event, which will be held at Dorton Arena in Raleigh on Thursday, April 7 through Saturday, April 9, will showcase the work of teams of high school students who had six weeks to design and build a robot from a “kit of parts” provided by the competition. Each team is paired with professional mentors to guide them through the process. Teams must follow a set of rules when constructing their robot and then submit it to the competition where they will be judged on design, team spirit, professionalism and maturity, and their problem-solving abilities.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) engages, celebrates and inspires students as they discover that they can be successful in science and technology, and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s technological enterprise.

Quote:
“Danielle and I are excited to take part in the 2011 NCFIRST Robotics Competition,” said Schoppe. “Getting youth excited about the challenges and rewards of science, engineering and technology is a great initiative that Fuentek fully supports. The future of development and innovation is in their hands, and we hope everyone comes out to the event to support these fun, high-tech races.”

Details:
- Fifty-four teams will be competing in the NCFIRST Robotic Competition. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/gjD3R8.

- Schoppe and McCulloch participated in the 2010 NCFIRST Robotic Competition, serving as judge and inspector, respectively.

- Fuentek will also serve as a team pit area sponsor for the event.

New Media Content:
Fuentek Blog:
http://blog.fuentek.com/2011/03/volunteer-nc-first-makes-impact.html
http://blog.fuentek.com

Fuentek Twitter Page:
http://twitter.com/fuentek

About Fuentek, LLC:
Fuentek, LLC is a consulting firm that provides intellectual property and technology transfer services. With a specialization in technology commercialization and the Symbiotic Innovation approach to open innovation, Fuentek works with a wide variety of clients to identify promising technologies and assist them in converting their ideas and inventions into marketable products. Drawing upon its unique combination of technical, business and commercialization expertise, the firm is one of the largest NASA contractors in North Carolina and has helped organizations around the world find the technology they need through licensing as well as collaborative research and development (R&D) partnerships. Led by President Laura A. Schoppe, a 2008 recipient of the prestigious Triangle Business Journal Women In Business award, Fuentek also offers training workshops, guidebooks, white papers, and websites to help clients and other tech transfer professionals improve effectiveness in managing their intellectual property. Recognized as a top women- and minority-owned small business in North Carolina for the past five consecutive years, Fuentek has been featured on National Public Radio and in the book The New Small: How a New Breed of Small Businesses is Harnessing the Power of Emerging Technologies. The firm has received numerous awards for its work, including an entrepreneurial Pinnacle Business Award from the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. For more information, please call (919) 249-0327 or visit Fuentek’s website at http://www.fuentek.com.

About Laura A. Schoppe:
Laura A. Schoppe is president of Fuentek, LLC, a consulting firm she established in 2001 that provides intellectual property and technology management services with a specialization in technology commercialization. In her role as president, Laura is responsible for managing relationships as well as establishing strategic client plans and conducting training workshops for clients. She has an extensive background in all aspects of intellectual property management, particularly leading license negotiation activities from transition innovations to new products. She has led major technology transfer projects at leading universities and government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies have sought her advice on strategic planning related to their intellectual assets. Prior to establishing Fuentek, Laura spearheaded successful research for several defense contractors. Laura has been selected to speak at several national and international conferences and has published many papers and book chapters. In 2008 Laura was recognized as one of the Triangle’s top 25 businesswomen with Triangle Business Journal’s prestigious Women in Business Award for her exemplary leadership skills in the innovation category.

About Danielle McCulloch:
Danielle McCulloch brings seven years of Intellectual Property management and 12 years of technical experience to the Fuentek team. A chemical engineer, McCulloch has technical expertise focused in medical devices/diagnostics, manufacturing, biotechnology, process engineering, product management and strategic planning. As a senior consultant, McCulloch serves as Fuentek’s client lead at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center and two major research universities. Most recently, she led an effort to revamp the website for Dryden’s technology transfer office. An experienced marketing manager, McCulloch possesses in-depth knowledge of business strategy, market analysis, new product planning and market development. She learns new technologies and industry dynamics in order to build relationships and facilitate communication with internal functional groups and external customers. McCulloch holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Washington University, and a Master of Business Administration from Dartmouth College.

Brittney Storm
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
brittney@mmipublicrelations.com
http://twitter.com/MMIPR
http://www.mmipublicrelations.com

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