News

Apr 23, 2008: Inventor's Irrigation Pumps Help Lift African Farmers Out of Poverty

To date, Martin Fisher and his team at KickStart have enabled over 310,000 people to rise out of poverty.

Feb 27, 2008: Bacteria Beware: MIT Student invents knock-out punch for antibiotic resistance

Timothy Lu’s innovations facilitate speedy design and production of inexpensive agents that can destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Feb 1, 2008: RAMP Peru

RAMP (Recognition and Mentoring Program) Peru selects 20 grassroots inventors for tailored mentoring support.

Jan 16, 2008: Survey Shows U.S. Teens Confident in Their Inventiveness

American teens are confident they can invent solutions to some of the world’s pressing challenges, such as protecting and restoring the natural environment, but more than half feel unprepared for careers in technology and engineering, the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index has found this year.

Jan 10, 2008: Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows Bolster Support For 2008 International Year of Sanitation

Five fellows whose innovative business models meet sanitation needs at the local, national or global level have been recognized and supported.

Nov 28, 2007: L-RAMP India Awards for Excellence 2007

In remarks made before presenting the awards, the Honorable Dr. Abdul Kalam, India's former President, appealed to local banks to provide support to small-scale innovators to help them launch enterprises for their inventions that address and meet the needs of the poor.

Oct 9, 2007: 2007-2008 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams Announced

The Lemelson-MIT Program has selected 16 new high schools to participate in its InvenTeams initiative and each school will receive up to $10,000 in grant funding for teams of students to identify a real-world problem and invent a practical solution to it.

Sep 6, 2007: Official launch of RAMP Peru

A consortium of international organizations is officially launching a Recognition and Mentoring Program (RAMP)to support invention in the Peruvian states of Cusco, Cajamarca and Puno.

Aug 20, 2007: SEEKING OUTSTANDING INVENTORS

The Lemelson-MIT Program is Accepting Nominations for the Lemelson-MIT Prize and Award for Sustainability

Aug 19, 2007: Thirty Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows Identified

$4 million, three-year pilot effort to build a critical mass of 100 inventor-entrepreneurs and catalyze their growth and impact

Apr 2, 2007: Chemist Inventor “Sniffs” his way to $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize

Dr. Timothy Swager Recognized With Largest Prize for Invention in the United States for his Chemical Sensor Inventions Employing Molecular Wires

Apr 2, 2007: Alternative-Fuels Pioneer Receives First-ever $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability

Professor Lee Lynd Honored for inventive achievements and research into alternative fuels

Feb 14, 2007: MIT Graduate Student Wins Prize for Life-Saving Inventions

Nathan Ball’s inventions include a device to “fly” to tops of buildings and another to significantly improve mass inoculations

Jan 18, 2007: First Ashoka-Lemelson Fellowships Awarded For Innovative Social Entrepreneurship

Induction ceremony honors the first six of 100 Fellows to be selected by 2010 through the Ashoka-Lemelson Partnership

Dec 1, 2006: Recently funded projects

The Foundation recently awarded funds to support technology dissemination projects in Tanzania and Nepal, and to establish a RAMP (Recognition and Mentoring Program) in Peru.

Dec 1, 2006: Support for INNOVATIONS

Grant to MIT Press to support the quarterly journal INNOVATIONS: TECHNOLOGY | GOVERNANCE | GLOBALIZATION.

Oct 19, 2006: 20 High Schools Awarded Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams Grants for Invention Projects

With InvenTeams grants up to $10,000 each, students and teachers at 20 high schools across the country are inventing practical solutions to a real-world problem of their choosing.

Sep 20, 2006: The Lemelson Foundation and Ashoka launch a new fellows program

A $4 million, three-year pilot effort to build a critical mass of 100 inventor-entrepreneurs and catalyze their growth and impact.

Aug 22, 2006: Grant to the Micro-enterprise Inventors Program of Oregon

Providing independent inventors in Oregon with access to resources, mentoring, training and networking to protect, market, and grow their inventions and intellectual property.

Aug 1, 2006: Lemelson Foundation Executive Director interviewed on NPR's Tech Nation

Dr. Moira Gunn, host of NPR's Tech Nation, interviews Julia Novy-Hildesley, Executive Director of The Lemelson Foundation

Jun 21, 2006: Lemelson-MIT Program Fans the Inventive Flame

The Lemelson-MIT Program has refocused its $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize to help bring inventions from younger, mid-career researchers into mainstream society, and it is introducing a new $100,000 Award for Sustainability for inventions that enhance economic opportunities and societal well-being around the world.

May 3, 2006: Liquid Crystal Display Trailblazer Receives $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize

James Fergason’s Achievements Recognized With Largest Prize for Invention in the U.S.

May 3, 2006: Eminent Scientist Receives $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Sidney Pestka Recognized for Groundbreaking Research on Anti-Viral Treatments

Mar 23, 2006: The NCIIA and The Lemelson Foundation Celebrate the 10th Annual March Madness for the Mind: A Decade of Collegiate Innovation

In Portland, Oregon - three days of workshops, innovative exhibits and student invention teams focused on social and economic improvement.

Feb 15, 2006: MIT Student Wins Award for Flying Car and Other Innovations

Carl Dietrich Awarded $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for Inventiveness

Jan 11, 2006: Teens Predict Gasoline-Powered Cars Obsolete by 2015

The recently released 2006 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index raises questions about teens' perceptions of their preparedness to tackle future societal problems

Oct 25, 2005: 18 High Schools Awarded Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grants

18 High Schools Awarded Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grants for the 2005-2006 Academic Year

Oct 6, 2005: Maximizing Social Return in Poor Countries

The Foundation hosts a meeting of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and philanthropists to explore new funding mechanisms for maximizing social return in poor countries.

Oct 3, 2005: The Foundation has hired two new staff members

Welcome Jill Tucker and Ellen Marie Hannan

Jun 1, 2005: Enhancing Engineering and Applied Science Education in Oregon

The Oregon University System is partnering with the Oregon Department of Education, the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development and the Lemelson Foundation to hold a two-day strategic planning summit in September 2005.

Apr 21, 2005: Inventor Wins $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize for Revolutionizing Acoustics

Elwood “Woody” Norris will receive the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize on April 22, 2005 for numerous important inventions, including HyperSonic Sound®, which enables sound to be targeted to an individual listener

Apr 21, 2005: Inventor of Modern Computer Memory Receives $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Robert Dennard will receive the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award for his dynamic random access memory (DRAM)invention, a breakthrough that transformed the microelectronics industry and remains the most popular form of computer memory today.

Feb 17, 2005: MIT Student Invents Promising Treatments for Stroke and Cancer

David Berry Awarded $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for Inventiveness

Jan 14, 2005: Bright Ideas While Sitting in Traffic

The recently released 2005 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index suggests that many American adults find their most creative place to be their car.

Dec 29, 2004: ApproTEC Wins Prestigious Social Capitalist Award

ApproTEC is a recipient of the Social Capitalist Award for their inventive work producing easy-to-use tools for African farmers.

Nov 15, 2004: Innovation is Centerstage at OMSI's New Exhibit Hall

Innovation Station, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry's (OMSI) new flagship exhibit hall opened on Thursday, November 11 with more than 20 technology-themed activities.

Oct 20, 2004: High School Teams Earn Grant Funding For Invention Projects

Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams grants awarded to 13 schools nationwide.

May 19, 2004: New Flagship Exhibit at OMSI Focuses on Technological Innovation and Invention

In recognition of the fact that technology has become a part of our everyday lives and will continue to play an important role in the future, OMSI will open Innovation Station, in November 2004. The Foundation is one of four founding partners supporting this premier exhibit in the Northwest which focuses on informal technology education.

Apr 22, 2004: Lemelson-MIT Program awards its annual $500,000 prize for invention to Nick Holonyak Jr., inventor of the first practical Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

Apr 22, 2004: $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award for invention given to pioneer chemist Edith Flanigen

Feb 20, 2004: Lemelson-MIT Program presents its annual $30,000 student prize to Saul Griffith

Jul 1, 2003: Satheesh Namasivayam hired as Program Officer

The Lemelson Foundation is pleased to announce that Satheesh Namasivayam has joined the staff as Program Officer.

May 29, 2003: The Foundation has sponsored an Invention Track at the May 2003 Sustainability Forum

The Lemelson Foundation has sponsored an "Invention Track" at the Sustainability Forum, a major conference that will be held in Portland, Oregon, May 29-31, 2003 and is expected to draw over 3,500 participants.

May 20, 2003: Invention at Play wins awards for its traveling exhibition and its website

The Lemelson Center's traveling exhibition "Invention at Play" was awarded a 15th Annual Museum Exhibit Competition Award of Excellence, while the website received a MUSE Gold Medal

Apr 24, 2003: $500,000 Lemelson-MIT prize awarded to Leroy Hood, M.D., PH.D.

Inventor of Automated DNA Sequencer Transformed Scientific Landscape and Played a Key Role in the Human Genome Project

Apr 24, 2003: Lemelson-MIT Program presents lifetime achievment award to biomedical industry pioneer

William P. Murphy, Jr. Used his Engineering Skills and Medical Expertise to Improve Lives through Invention

Jan 21, 2003: Toothbrush Beats Out PC, Car, Cell Phone as the Invention Most Americans Say They Cannot Live Without

While it may seem that technology gadgets are Americans' most coveted items, teens and adults agree that the toothbrush is the one invention they cannot live without.

Oct 17, 2002: Lemelson-MIT Program Launches New Invention Initiative for High School Students and Teachers

The Lemelson-MIT Program, a leading advocate for invention and innovation among American youth, today launched InvenTeam Grants, a new initiative to foster inventiveness in high school students. Three New England high school teams have been chosen as the inaugural recipients. InvenTeam Grants provide up to $10,000 to teams — composed of students, their teachers and an industry mentor — that are formed to invent something of real benefit to their schools or local communities.

Aug 1, 2002: Jobs database launched during the August 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa

The Foundation made its first international program grant to the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

May 21, 2002: Dorothy Lemelson Inducted into the Order of James Smithson

Dorothy Lemelson became the eighth inductee into the Order of James Smithson on May 5. Mrs. Lemelson and her late husband, Jerome, were recognized for their contributions facilitating the creation of the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Behring Center.

May 2, 2002: NCIIA Accepting Proposals to Fund Student Inventions and Faculty Courses in Innovation

Students and faculty are invited to submit proposals to the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) by May 15 to obtain funding for student projects and faculty courses that enable students to pursue commercialization of their innovations.

Apr 23, 2002: $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize Awarded to Dean Kamen

The Lemelson-MIT Program announced today that its annual $500,000 prize - the world's largest single award for invention - is being presented to Dean Kamen, a pioneer of medical technologies and a leading advocate for science and invention, particularly among students.

Apr 23, 2002: Ruth Rogan Benerito Wins Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award

The woman who helped revolutionize the textile industry through the introduction of easy-care cotton — the precursor to "wash and wear" clothing — was today named winner of the eighth annual Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award for invention and innovation. Dr. Ruth Rogan Benerito is being recognized for vital contributions that helped transform the textile, wood and paper industries.

Apr 17, 2002: NCIIA Grants to Support Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education

The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) a non-profit educational initiative is seeking proposals for the development & support of innovation, invention, and technological entrepreneurship at U.S. colleges and universities.

Mar 6, 2002: Student Wins $30,000 Prize for Inventiveness from Lemelson-MIT Program

The Lemelson-MIT Program announced today that Andrew Heafitz, an MIT graduate student and Newton, Mass native, has been selected as the recipient of its eighth annual $30,000 Student Prize for inventiveness. The Lemelson-MIT Student Prize judging panel selected Heafitz, a 32-year–old doctoral candidate in Mechanical Engineering, for his ingenuity and remarkable inventiveness. Among Heafitz’s notable inventions are a low-cost rocket engine and an aerial surveillance system designed for the U.S. Army.

Jan 22, 2002: The Lemelson-MIT Program Announces Results of the Invention Index Survey

American Teens Say Computer Most, Television Least Important Inventions of the 20th Century. These are some of the key findings of the latest Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, an annual survey of Americans' perceptions about inventing and innovating.

Oct 31, 2001: Dynamic Innovations By U.S. College Students Flourish With Support of National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance

The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) has awarded up to $20,000 each to college students to pursue development and commercialization of their ideas.

Oct 9, 2001: Nation's Top Student Exhibit Innovations in Reno

Student inventors from colleges and universities around the U.S. bring their innovations to Reno on October 12 for a free, one-day exhibit that spotlights the process of turning a good idea into a viable business - while in college.

Jul 10, 2001: Car That Runs on Vegetable Oil Developed

"Safflower Power," the cover story of the current (July 5-11) "Valley Advocate," is about Greaseco, Justin Carven and Leif Forer's company for creation and distribution of kits to convert diesel engines to run on vegetable oil. Never underestimate a Division III project -- Carven developed the conversion kit as his project in 2000, and Forer worked on a marketing plan for it as his project in 2001.

Jun 18, 2001: Riding the Age Wave Forum at Hampshire College

United States demographics are undergoing an important change: the average age of our citizens is rising. As the influential group known as the baby boomers acquire age-related disabilities, there will be an increase in the demand for new and better-designed solutions. How will this affect assistive, universal, industrial, product, graphic, and architectural design?

May 1, 2001: Innovations in Sports Equipment By US College Students Flourish with Support of National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance

A machine to get exercise fanatics climbing the walls. A radar gun that measures the influence of weather on a baseball pitcher's performance. A running shoe that tells runners when to sprint to the shoe store. This year, student inventors at colleges and universities around the country have developed these and other innovative sports products.

Apr 24, 2001: Kurzweil Recipient of Lemelson-MIT Award

Artificial Intelligence Innovator Raymond Kurzweil Invented First Reading Machine for the Blind

Apr 24, 2001: Damadian Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Raymond Damadian Invented First Magnetic Resonance (MR) Scanning Machine—Enabled Early Detection of Cancer and other Diseases

Mar 7, 2001: March Madness of the Mind

Top Student Inventors To Showcase Work At Smithsonian During "March Madness For The Mind"

Feb 15, 2001: Hubert Wins Lemelson-Mit Inventiveness Prize

MIT graduate student and Yakima, Washington native Brian Hubert has been selected as the recipient of its seventh annual $30,000 Student Prize for inventiveness.

Feb 15, 2001: Smithsonian Program for Invention Supported by $40 Million

Recent Gift Endows Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation

Nov 15, 2000: Jordan Sand wins Lemelson-MIT Invention Apprenticeship

Teen Environmentalist from North Dakota Wins Shot to Invent at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory