Latest

The Powerful History of Early Black Invention

An inventor shares what Black invention means to her.

6 min read

Khatuchi Khasandi (center) speaking to a group at the 2025 Transforming African MedTech Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

Building an Innovation Ecosystem for Entrepreneurs in Africa

A leader in African entrepreneurship shares how funders can support innovation-based enterprises in Kenya.

8 min read

Entrepreneurship Funders Network Executive Director Ifeoma Aduba, center, with peers at the 2024 EFN Convening.

The Role of Philanthropy in Supporting Impact Entrepreneurs

A network of philanthropic funders is helping innovators navigate challenging times.

10 min read

Protecting the Planet, One Engineering Class at a Time

How a wildlife biologist’s unconventional career path led to a sustainability movement in engineering education.

11 min read

Anuki Mudalige at the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals.

Using Invention to Increase Mindfulness

An ancient mindfulness technique inspired this high schooler to invent a modern stress-reducing technology.

8 min read

A woman talks into a microphone on a stage.

This Engineer is Creating a Path for Accessible Solar Energy

Monique Dyers is a leader in renewable energy — and a role model for other engineers interested in entrepreneurship with purpose.

8 min read

A group of happy Calistoga InvenTeam students and their teacher Heather Brooks stand together, all wearing shirts with the Lemelson-MIT logo. They are posing in front of a Lemelson-MIT branded banner at EurekaFest at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Recognizing the Power of Invention Education for Re-Engaging Students

Discover how this educator’s introduction to invention education resulted in her students’ presenting at MIT, speaking on a U.S. Department of Education panel, and becoming SXSW finalists.

6 min read

Lesly Rojas in a lab.

Engineering for Good

Invention education programs inspired this young inventor to pursue engineering to make an impact in people’s lives.

9 min read

Mahadevan poses with The Allergent, a food allergy detection device.

The Food Allergy Detective

This young inventor created an AI-enabled, electronic nose to sniff out allergens lurking in your food.

7 min read

Previous

  • Building Climate Innovation Opportunities in Africa

    Building Climate Innovation Opportunities in Africa

    Next month, at COP 28, leaders from across the globe will meet to take action toward the biggest issues in climate change, including financing for Africa. The continent is at the forefront of the world’s most acute climate disasters, yet it receives just 4.7% of total global climate financing — a fraction of the US$2.7…

  • This High-Schooler is Harnessing Chemistry to Combat Pollution

    This High-Schooler is Harnessing Chemistry to Combat Pollution

    An award-winning student inventor, Tarun Batchu has discovered an eco-friendly way to convert plastics into fuel.

  • To Empower Impact Entrepreneurs to Solve the World’s Problems, First Support the Incubators

    To Empower Impact Entrepreneurs to Solve the World’s Problems, First Support the Incubators

    In its early days, the Covid-19 pandemic brought most activities to a grinding halt. But there’s one activity that it absolutely ignited: medical innovation. Imagine microbrewers in North Carolina jumping lanes to make hand sanitizer instead of beer, or a 3-D printing startup in Kenya using its machines to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE), or…

  • Helping Inventors Get “Unstuck”

    Helping Inventors Get “Unstuck”

    Engineer and entrepreneur Sorin Grama focuses on sustainability and innovation in his work. Read more about Grama’s path to entrepreneurship here. At The Lemelson Foundation, we believe that inventors and inventions are critical to making the world a better place. Our grantees and partners are supporting the creation of innovative products that address some of our…

  • Building Trust and Confidence Through Invention Education

    Building Trust and Confidence Through Invention Education

    Teacher Natalie Mondesir supervises recess at Liberty Elementary School in Midway, GA. In a rural Georgia elementary school, teacher Natalie Mondesir is inspiring hundreds of students to think outside the box. One year at Christmas time, Natalie Mondesir bought a package of candy canes for her students. Like all fourth graders, the children were excited…

  • Empowering Underrepresented Students to Become Entrepreneurs

    Empowering Underrepresented Students to Become Entrepreneurs

    Dr. Sylvia Robles founded the “Adopt a Startup” program at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to encourage entrepreneurship in students and foster sustainability in local businesses. Through her groundbreaking Adopt a Startup program, Dr. Sylvia Robles is inspiring — and incubating — the next generation of sustainability-focused entrepreneurs. How do you support youth…

  • Why Invention Education Will Lead to a Future Full of Innovators

    Why Invention Education Will Lead to a Future Full of Innovators

    A hands-on, inclusive approach to learning, Invention Education gives students agency and the confidence they need to become problem-solvers. Picture a classroom full of students engaged in their learning. But they don’t have books or computers in front of them. Instead, they have cardboard boxes, rubber bands, and duct tape — or maybe circuit boards…

  • 2023 Inventor’s Day Roundup: Inventing for a Better Future

    2023 Inventor’s Day Roundup: Inventing for a Better Future

    These innovators are changing the face of invention — and working to change the world. A hundred years ago this year, Jerry Lemelson was born into a world that was being transformed by the power of invention. He himself became a prolific and versatile inventor, with more than 600 patents across a wide range of…

  • These Teens Plan To Change The World Through Invention

    These Teens Plan To Change The World Through Invention

    For Jeanelle Dao and Prisha Shroff, personal experience plus a commitment to improving lives equals a steady drive to make the world a better place. At age 13, Prisha Shroff saw something that made her want to change the world. She was driving with her family from Los Angeles to their home in Chandler, Arizona,…