October 6, 2009

Burns & Levinson LLP today announced the kickoff of its Fifth Annual Power of an Idea® Scholarship Contest, a creative competition that is expected to draw scores of student applicants from Boston public high schools and charter schools. The contest gives students an opportunity to become Boston’s Next Young Inventor™ by creating an invention and taking the idea from concept to creation to patent.

Under competition rules, Boston public high school and charter school students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to compete for the chance to win the $15,000 scholarship to be used for higher education tuition and expenses. Also as part of the prize package, Burns & Levinson will provide legal patent services for the winning device, machine or process.

“Burns & Levinson is looking forward to the fifth year of the Power of an Idea® Scholarship Contest as we set out to find Boston’s next young inventor,” said David P. Rosenblatt, managing partner of Burns & Levinson. “Based on the success of this program over the last four years, we anticipate a great turnout and look forward to meeting a new group of enthusiastic students ready to share their passion for science.”

Last May, Min Zhong, a senior at Charlestown High School, took first place honors in the contest. Zhong invented the “New Medical Alert System,” an intricate locking system used in emergency medical situations. She is now a freshman at Tufts University where she is studying mechanical engineering.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is also a longtime supporter of the program. “Innovation has always been something Boston prides itself on. Through this successful scholarship program, Burns & Levinson is helping to promote the next generation of inventors in this great city,” said Menino. “It exposes young people to the entire process of creating an invention, and it encourages scientific exploration in the next generation of Boston’s innovators.”

“We are eager to participate in this year’s Power of an Idea® Scholarship Contest as it inspires our students to get excited about science and apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to bring their ideas to life,” said Dr. Margaret Bledsoe, headmaster at Charlestown High School. “Over the past four years, this contest has challenged our students to develop some truly amazing inventions that have proven to be practical solutions to real-world challenges.”

Informational sessions will be offered to students at the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science and Tech Boston offices at Madison Park High School. Tentative dates and times for meetings are Tuesday, Oct. 6 and Thursday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. at the O’Bryant School as well as Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 2:30 p.m at Madison Park High School.

Additionally, coaching sessions with Burns & Levinson attorneys David W. Gomes and Steven F. W. Ball Jr., members of the firm’s Intellectual Property/SciTech group, will take place in November, December, January and February. The sessions will be held to assist students in formulating their patent application-like submissions. Judging for the contest will occur in March 2010 and the awards ceremony will be held in May 2010.

“We are always excited to see the level of creativity and inventiveness displayed by the students,” said Gomes. “This year is sure to be a big success and we’re looking forward to working with a new group of students to help advance their ideas and innovation.”

Rosenblatt noted that a deeper mission for the competition is to make a statement to the city of Boston about the value of investing in its youth. “This competition is about fostering the development of students by encouraging each one of them to think creatively and provide financial support for them to achieve their goals,” he said.

For more information on Power of an Idea® Scholarship Contest, go to the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/powerofanidea.

About Burns & Levinson LLP
Burns & Levinson, with over 125 attorneys in four offices in New England, is a full-service Boston-based law firm. The firm has grown steadily and strategically throughout the years and has become a premier law firm with regional, national and international clientele. The firm has expertise in corporate law, finance, venture capital, private equity, tax, bankruptcy, lending and leasing, real estate, business litigation, government investigations and white collar crime defense, intellectual property - including patent law, and a large private client group - including estate planning, probate and trust litigation, divorce and other family law issues. In addition, the firm has a wholly-owned subsidiary office in Montreal, Quebec, to service its Canadian clients. For more information, visit Burns & Levinson at www.burnslev.com.

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