When a World-Famous Inventor Gets Her Own USPTO Trading Card...Innovative Girls Take Notice
If you have a phone screen protector, tinted car windows or have had a surgical procedure in the last 15 years, you've benefitted from her inventions. If you've read Être's interviews with leading women or scanned The Epic Mentor Guide, you know how much inspiring the next generation of innovators matters to her.
But now, Audrey Sherman - famous chemist, scientist, inventor and mentor with over 165 patents to her name - has given girls yet another reason to be awed.
Alongside legends like Lincoln, Carver, Tesla and Edison, Sherman now has her own Inventor Collectible Trading Card, issued last week by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
What are these trading cards and why are they issued?
First launched in 2012 at the USA Science and Engineering Festival, the USPTO trading card series is designed to "promote inventors from a broad cross-section of the population...[and] to promote invention and innovation and reduce barriers to inclusion."
Why?
Because often it's hard for young innovators to imagine ideas taking hold, particularly when they don't know any inventors who look like them.
Because it's daunting to dream that solutions could be recognized as problem-solving, especially absent a typical innovator's background.
Because sometimes you simply need to see it to be it.
According to the World Economic Forum, in 2022 11% of all US patents were awarded to women - marking an increase of 51% since 2000. But a USPTO paper issued last month notes that patents by majority-female inventor teams receive up to 22% fewer citations than patents by majority-male inventor teams. Put another way, while the share of female inventors is on the rise, a persistent gender gap remains nonetheless.
Audrey Sherman understands this, and it's one of the many reasons she was so honored to receive her own trading card. Having interviewed Sherman once before for Thrive Global, Être girls were eager to submit new questions about how this trading card happened and exactly what it means.
Below is an edited version of our recent interview with Sherman. Right along with the girls she inspires, I'm in complete awe.
Ê: We are SO EXCITED about this trading card! How did this even happen?
AS: I'm excited too! A few years back, I was speaking on a panel about gender parity...specifically about the fact that even though the number of women in STEM is rising, it's still really a poor number when it comes to women inventors. And after that speech, two people approached me and said, We'd never heard of you before, but we'd like to make a trading card of you! We'd like to caricature your image and highlight your work - what do you think?
I was working for 3M and the head of 3M and all their lead attorneys were standing with me. Everyone just stared and said Yes! And now so many people have seen it - and want autographed copies - the response has been overwhelming!
“I got an amazing comment on LinkedIn that said something like ‘You’ve been recognized by Jeopardy...and now you’re an actual trading card!’”
Ê: Who are some other people with trading cards that you're honored to be among - where you can't believe your name is listed with theirs?
AS: Well, we can start with Abraham Lincoln! He has one. George Washington Carver, Tesla, Edison - all really, really cool. Granted, a lot of them are men, but just looking through them I learned so much.
For example, Elijah McCoy has one, and I learned where the expression the real McCoy comes from. Apparently his work with steam engines was so outstanding that companies started asking for 'the real McCoy' to make sure they got his work and not a knock-off!
Ê: What percentage of the trading cards are women? And do any stand out for you?
AS: I think there are 10 women on cards so far (she's right) out of 28. Two in particular I'm thrilled to see are Temple Grandin - who I got to meet and is so cool - and Hedy Lamar.
“I mean, it’s like telling the world: You can be a movie star and still be an inventor. Anyone can be an inventor!”
Ê: What else do you want young inventors to remember when they look at this card?
AS: You never dream of these things, right? This kind of thing isn't on your usual bucket list. But they happen. So don't say no to people when they come up to you with questions or a strange idea. You never know who you'll inspire. Now it will be on the bucket list of a whole bunch of girls, because they'll see it and will know they can be it.
Sometimes I think, oh I haven't done anything. I need to do something more. But then I look at this card and know other young people will too. And there it is!
And there it is.
Proof - the element all scientists need to proceed.
Most people would think that 165+ patents would be proof enough of an inventor's impact on a new generation. But Audrey Sherman has given us more. Something tangible that even the youngest innovators can hold, read, flip over and slip into their notebook of ideas.
From her new role as Division Scientist at Solventum creating cutting-edge tech for future healthcare products, Audrey Sherman now has what every inventor all-star needs.
Her own trading card.
Putting one in my notebook now and looking forward,
Illana
ÊXTRAS: Three facts about female inventors you won't want to miss: Chemistry has the highest percentage of female inventors at 18%, Mechanical Engineering has the fewest at 5%, and research demonstrates that high rates of first-time patenting are the result of increased collaboration...showing the value of mentorship among women in innovation. Source: World Economic Forum.
