Give him a hand

From: Grand Junction Sentinel, CO
Nov. 14, 2002

By ANNA BEATY

Grand Junction whiz kid's manual alphabet glove has been recognized as one of Time magazine's Coolest Inventions of 2002, in Time's Nov. 18 issue.

Ryan Patterson's "American Sign Language Translator," a leather golf glove electronically linked to a small hand-held computer screen, translates the sign language alphabet into words on the screen.

Patterson's inspiration for the translator came when standing in line at Burger King as he watched a customer who was deaf struggle to order food.

Patterson, 19, is a graduate of Central High School. His translating glove has won many awards including first place at the Intel Science Talent Search, widely recognized as the junior Nobel Prize, the Gold Medal National Winners at the 2001 Siemens Westinghouse Math Science and Technology Competition, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

Patterson is currently in his first semester at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he is studying electrical and computer engineering.

Look for Patterson to appear on the national newsstand again at the end of the month in the December issue of Gentleman's Quarterly Magazine (GQ). The article will feature Patterson and his science mentor, John McConnell, 72, of Grand Junction.

{M4Anna Beaty can be reached via e-mail at abeaty@gjds.com.

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