2009 Corporate Tours

For more information on the following tours and to sign up, please contact Shannon Dunphy at shan_d@hotmail.com.

United States Patent and Trademark Office
Location: Alexandria VA
Tour Overview: "For over 200 years, the basic role of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has remained the same: to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries (Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution). Under this system of protection, American industry has flourished. New products have been invented, new uses for old ones discovered, and employment opportunities created for millions of Americans. The strength and vitality of the U.S. economy depends directly on effective mechanisms that protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. The continued demand for patents and trademarks underscores the ingenuity of American inventors and entrepreneurs. The USPTO is at the cutting edge of the Nation’s technological progress and achievement." (Source: www.uspto.gov)
Dress Code Requirements: Business casual.

U. S. Naval Academy (pre-college students only)
Location: Annapolis MD
Tour Overview: "The Naval Academy was founded in 1845 by the Secretary of the Navy, George Bancroft, and gives young men and women the up-to-date academic and professional training needed to be effective naval and marine officers in their assignments after graduation. Every day, as the undergraduate college of the naval service, the United States Naval Academy strives to accomplish its mission to develop midshipmen "morally, mentally, and physically." (Source: www.usna.edu)  High school students and chaperones will have the opportunity to visit this historical Academy and meet current midshipmen and Naval officers.
Dress Code Requirements: Business casual.