Florida Innovators Honored as Charter Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors

Dec. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- TAMPA, Fla. (Dec. 21, 2012)—In recognition of their contributions to scientific discovery and their impact on society, twenty innovators and inventors affiliated with ten Florida universities and non-profit research institutes have been named Charter Fellows by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

These 20 Florida innovators represent a significant share of the nearly 100 member class of Charter Fellows, which includes prominent scientists from around the world.  Collectively, Florida’s new Fellows hold more than 500 U.S. patents.

The NAI Charter Fellows from the State of Florida are:

Raymond J. Bergeron, University of Florida
Curtis R. Carlson, SRI International*
Donn M. Dennis, University of Florida
Kenneth M. Ford, Institute for Human & Machine Cognition
Richard D. Gitlin, University of South Florida
Leonid B. Glebov, University of Central Florida
D. Yogi Goswami, University of South Florida
Barbara C. Hansen, University of South Florida
Richard A. Houghten, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies*
Sakhrat Khizroev, Florida International University
Alan F. List, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
Shyam Mohapatra, University of South Florida
David P. Norton, University of Florida
Leonard Polizzotto, Draper Laboratory*
Paul R. Sanberg, University of South Florida
Franky So, University of Florida
M. J. Soileau, University of Central Florida
Nan-Yao Su, University of Florida
Herbert Weissbach, Florida Atlantic University
Shin-Tson Wu, University of Central Florida

*national non-profit research institute with Florida location

Election to NAI Fellow status is a high professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

“The Florida High Tech Corridor Council is proud to be a sponsor of the NAI and the NAI Fellows program,” said Randy Berridge, president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.  “The NAI is an important partner in support of our mission to grow high tech industry and innovation in the state of Florida. The outstanding innovators elected as Charter Fellows represent some of the ‘best and brightest’ in Florida research and innovation.”

The NAI Charter Fellows will be inducted as Fellows by the U.S. Commissioner for Patents, Margaret A. Focarino, from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), during the 2nd Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors, on Feb. 22, 2013, in Tampa, Fla., at the Embassy Suites Hotel in the University of South Florida Research Park. Fellows will be presented with a special trophy and a rosette pin.

The NAI Charter Fellows will be recognized with a full page announcement in The Chronicle of Higher Education on Jan. 18, 2013, in the Jan. 2013 issue of Inventors Digest, and in a future issue of Technology and Innovation – Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors.

The full class of NAI Charter Fellows is comprised of 98 Fellows from 54 institutions worldwide and includes eight Nobel Laureates, two Fellows of the Royal Society, 12 presidents of research universities and non-profit research institutes, 50 members of the National Academies (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine), 11 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, three recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, four recipients of the National Medal of Science, and 29 AAAS Fellows, among other major awards and distinctions.

“The NAI provides a valuable role in the translation of science and technology within the university community, and for the benefit of society,” said Kathy Castor, U.S. Representative for Florida’s 11th congressional district, in remarks to the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year.

“Innovation, based on new inventions and technologies, has proven to be a key factor in the industrial and economic development of the world,” said Castor. “The support, encouragement and development of technology and innovation are also fundamental to the success of a university, non-profit research organization or federal research institute.”

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

The NAI Fellows Selection Committee was comprised of recipients of National Medals, a National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee, 14 members from the National Academies, senior officials from the USPTO, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), and the United Inventors Association, and leaders from several research universities.

The full list of 2012 NAI Charter Fellows is here: http://nai.usf.edu/naiweb/search-fellows.asp

About the National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors® is a 501c3 non-profit organization comprised of more than 45 U.S. and international universities and non-profit research institutes, with over 2,000 individual academic inventor members, and growing rapidly. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with a patent 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 a newsletter and edits the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation – Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors, published by Cognizant Communication Corporation (NY).  www.academyofinventors.org

About the Florida High Tech Corridor Council
The Florida High Tech Corridor Council is a regional economic development initiative of the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida whose mission is to grow high tech industry and innovation through partnerships that support research, marketing, workforce and entrepreneurship.  www.floridahightech.com