New WIPO Information Center opens - spotlight on women inventors

WIPO Magazine - September 1998
page 5

The beginning of September saw the opening of the new WIPO Information Center. The ceremonial ribbon was cut by Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris and Ms. Sheila Batchelor, Chair of the General Assembly of WIPO, in the presence of delegates from the Organization's 171 member States, invited guests from the United Nations, representatives of the press, and members of staff.

The multi-faceted Center contains a bookshop, a souvenir boutique and a cyber-corner giving access to WIPO's website on the Internet. It also has an exhibition area, currently devoted to showcasing women inventors. This exhibition - Women Invent - is scheduled to run until March 31, 1999 and features some 200 inventions created by women and girls from around the world. Illustrated panels, videos, and some of the actual inventions themselves all contribute to an intriguing voyage of discovery into the creativity and inventiveness of women - from the advances in chemistry and physics made by two-time Nobel prize-winner Marie Curie to the air harmonica constructed from discarded soft drinks containers by Michiko Araki, a 12-year-old Japanese school-girl.

The WIPO Information Center is situated in the lobby of WIPO's headquarters building at 34 chemin des Colombettes, Geneva. It is open to the public from Monday to Friday from 9h to 17h. The exhibition - Women Invent - will run from September 8, 1998 to March 31, 1999.

Photo: Mercedes Martínez Dozal

Ms. Batchelor (center) and Dr. Idris being shown around the Information Center