National Academy of Inventors Fellows inducted by USPTO's Andrew Faile

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations Andrew Faile inducted the 2013 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors at the NAI's 3^rd annual conference, held for the first time at the headquarters of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Mar. 6-7, 2014. 

"Invention and entrepreneurship are the backbone of America's innovation economy," said Stephen Hsu, vice president for research and graduate studies at Michigan State University and a 2013 NAI Fellow. "I'm very enthusiastic about an entity such as the NAI that recognizes and furthers this important activity."

Approximately 250 inventors and academic leaders attended the conference, which featured presentations and panels by more than 35 distinguished scientists and innovators and included a keynote address by Stephen Quake of Stanford University, winner of the Lemelson-MIT Prize, member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Institute of Medicine (IOM), and newly inducted Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.  

"It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized this way," said Taylor Eighmy, vice chancellor for research and engagement at the University of Tennessee. "The academy has many talented inventors and innovators committed to translating discovery into societal benefit. We are seeing this culture flourish here at the University of Tennessee."

Faile and Paul R. Sanberg, president of the NAI, presented the 2013 class of Fellows with trophies, certificates and rosette pins honoring their accomplishments as inventors at a ceremony held Mar. 7, 2014, in the USPTO Auditorium.  More than 80 of the 143 top scientists and innovation leaders elected as 2013 Fellows were in attendance.  The names and institutions of all NAI Fellows are on permanent display at the USPTO.

In his keynote address to the Fellows, Faile noted that "the future of innovation in America is indeed bright."

"The NAI is an organization the United States Patent and Trademark Office 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."

"Organizations like the NAI are extremely important to the way the USPTO does business," said Faile.  "The USPTO would like the NAI to continue to serve as a key university liaison on academic innovation."

With the induction of the 2013 class, there are now 244 NAI Fellows worldwide, representing 121 universities and non-profit research institutes.  Included in the 2013 class are 26 presidents and senior leadership of research universities and non-profit research institutes, 69 members of the National Academies (NAS, NAE, IOM), five inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, six recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, two recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Science, nine Nobel Laureates, five Lemelson-MIT prize recipients, and 23 AAAS Fellows, among other awards and distinctions.

"I am deeply honored to receive this distinction with incredibly inventive colleagues from here at Harvard University and across the country," said David Edwards, professor at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Nominations for 2014 Fellows will open Jul. 1, 2014, and can be submitted online through Nov. 1, 2014, at Academyofinventors.org/nomination-info.asp. The 2014 Fellows will be inducted by U.S. Commissioner for Patents Margaret A. Focarino at the 2015 NAI Annual Conference, which will be held at the California Institute of Technology, Mar. 19-20, 2015.  Caltech is a Charter Member Institution of the NAI.

"I was really pleased to hear that I had been elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors," said Hameed Naseem, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Arkansas and a 2013 Fellow. "This recognition is a great honor for me, as all my academic life I have emphasized awakening the 'inventor spirit' in my graduate students."

"The 2013 NAI Fellows and their creative accomplishments showcase the continued excellence of academic innovation and invention," said Sanberg. "Their work has brought great benefit to the world and we are proud to honor them as Fellows."

The printed Conference and Fellows Programs are available at Academyofinventors.org/conference/program.asp.  A full listing of the Fellows is at Academyofinventors.org/search-fellows.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 USF Research Park in Tampa.  The NAI edits the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation – Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors, published by Cognizant Communication Corporation (NY).  AcademyofInventors.org

Media Contact: Judy Lowry
National Academy of Inventors
[email protected], 813-974-3181

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140313/DC83011

SOURCE National Academy of Inventors

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