Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu Among Champion Inventors to Speak at NAI Conference

PASADENA, Calif., March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu will join Esther Takeuchi, National Medal of Technology and Innovation recipient, and Richard DiMarchi, National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee, as keynote speakers during the fourth annual conference of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) to be held at the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena Mar. 19-20, 2015. 

The conference, which annually attracts more than 200 high level inventors and leaders from U.S. and international universities and research institutes, will feature presentations and panels on innovation by over 35 distinguished scientists and academic leaders from prestigious research universities including Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern, Princeton and UT Austin. Among conference events is a signature reception at the California Science Center, home of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, with former NASA astronaut and Endeavour crew member Garrett Reisman as the headline speaker.

The conference will conclude with an induction ceremony for the 2014 class of NAI Fellows, featuring a keynote address by Andrew Faile, U.S. Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

"The NAI is an organization the USPTO counts as a close friend," said Faile. "Since the inception of the NAI, our two organizations have maintained a close relationship. We can depend on the NAI as a strong supporter of intellectual property rights and of the mission of the USPTO to promote and protect innovation."

With the election of the 2014 class, there are now 414 NAI Fellows worldwide, representing more than 150 prestigious universities and governmental and non-profit research institutions. Collectively, the Fellows hold nearly 14,000 issued U.S. patents and include 61 presidents and senior leadership of research universities and non-profit research institutes, 212 members of the other National Academies (NAS, NAE, IOM), 23 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 16 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, 10 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Science, 21 Nobel Laureates, 11 Lemelson-MIT prize recipients, 112 AAAS Fellows, and 62 IEEE Fellows, among other awards and distinctions.

"The NAI is experiencing rapid growth as we continue to bring the importance of recognizing academic invention and innovation to the national spotlight," said Dr. Paul Sanberg, who, in addition to serving as president of the NAI, is an NAI charter Fellow and AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassador. "Our annual meeting provides an opportunity for our membership to exchange ideas and sets the stage for our future as an organization.  We are honored to welcome these distinguished speakers to share their insights on innovation with our members."

A detailed agenda is available at http://academyofinventors.org/conference/program.asp.  Invited papers from the conference will be published in the NAI journal Technology and Innovation. 

About the National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization comprised of U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutions, with over 3,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 200 institutions, and growing rapidly. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI offices are located in the University of South Florida Research Park.  The NAI edits the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation – Journal of the National Academy of Inventors, published by Cognizant Communication Corporation (NY).  www.AcademyofInventors.org

Media Contact:            

Keara Leach
National Academy of Inventors
Email
904-556-9319

Source: National Academy of Inventors

SOURCE National Academy of Inventors

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