National Academy of Inventors Announces 2017 Fellows

TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named 155 renowned academic inventors to NAI Fellow status.

With the election of the 2017 class there are now 912 NAI Fellows, representing over 250 research universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes. The 2017 Fellows are named inventors on nearly 6,000 issued U.S. patents, bringing the collective patents held by all NAI Fellows to more than 32,000 issued U.S. patents.

Included among all NAI Fellows are more than 100 presidents and senior leaders of research universities and non-profit research institutes; 439 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; 36 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame; 52 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science; 29 Nobel Laureates; 261 AAAS Fellows; 168 IEEE Fellows; and 142 Fellows of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, among other awards and distinctions.

Election to NAI Fellow status is the highest professional accolade bestowed to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. As detailed in the 2017 NAI Activities Report, published in Sept. 2017, NAI Fellows have generated more than 9,400 licensed technologies and companies and created more than 1.3 million jobs, with over $137 billion in revenue generated based on their discoveries.

"Congratulations to the exceptional academic inventors who comprise the 2017 class of NAI Fellows," said Shirley Malcom, Head of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "It was my privilege to support the important mission of the NAI as a member of the Fellows Selection Committee. The NAI Fellows Program plays a vital role in bringing to the forefront the essential scientific and economic contributions of our nation's inventors."

On 5 Apr. 2018, the 2017 NAI Fellows will be inducted as part of the Seventh Annual NAI Conference in Washington, DC. Andrew H. Hirshfeld, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Commissioner for Patents, will provide the keynote address for the induction ceremony. In honor of their outstanding accomplishments, Fellows will be presented with a special trophy, medal, and rosette pin.

"Once again, I am in awe of the inventors elected as NAI Fellows. It was my honor to serve on the NAI Fellows Selection Committee and participate in this unique recognition of impactful patented contributions to science and technology," Hirshfeld said, "I look forward to celebrating this remarkable group at the 2018 NAI Conference at the Smithsonian American Art Museum which was once known as the Temple of Invention during its years as the first dedicated home of the U.S. Patent Office. This historic national landmark serves as an extremely fitting location to once again showcase inventors and their technologies."

Those elected to the rank of NAI Fellow are named inventors on U.S. patents and were nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.

The 2017 class of NAI Fellows was evaluated by the 18 members of the 2017 Selection Committee, which encompassed NAI Fellows, U.S. National Medals recipients, National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees, members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and senior officials from the USPTO, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Association of American Universities, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Association of University Technology Managers, and National Inventors Hall of Fame, among other organizations.

"I am incredibly proud to welcome our 2017 Fellows to the Academy," said NAI President Paul Sanberg. "These accomplished individuals represent the pinnacle of achievement at the intersection of academia and invention––their discoveries have changed the way we view the world. They epitomize the triumph of a university culture that celebrates patents, licensing, and commercialization, and we look forward to engaging their talents to further support academic innovation."

The 2017 NAI Fellows will be highlighted with a full-page announcement in the 19 Jan. 2018 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education and in upcoming issues of Science and Technology and Innovation, Journal of the National Academy of Inventors.

Complete list of NAI Fellows: http://Academyofinventors.org/search-fellows.asp.

The National Academy of Inventors is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. 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 publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation, Journal of the National Academy of Inventors.

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SOURCE National Academy of Inventors