Described as “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation” the National Inventors Hall of Fame in partnership with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will honor their latest group of fifteen inductees (2018) on May 2nd and 3rd.
The two day event includes an Illumination Ceremony at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum at the USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, followed the next day by the black-tie dinner, ceremony and after party at the 46th Annual National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
Inductee Steven Van Slyke, co-inventor of the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) stated, “I am honored that Ching Tang and I are receiving this recognition. I am even more humbled to stand alongside my fellow National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees who have made the world better through their world-changing innovations.”
The list of honorees are as follows with their full biographies online:
Marvin Caruthers: Chemical Synthesis of DNA
Developed the methods for chemically synthesizing DNA that dramatically advanced biological research and helped launch the biotechnology industry.
Stan Honey: Sports Broadcast Graphic Enhancements
Transformed the viewing experience of millions of sports fans through the creation of the Virtual Yellow 1st & Ten® line in football. Also developed other graphic enhancements in sports including baseball, hockey, NASCAR and sailing that transformed sports broadcasting.
Sumita Mitra: Nanocomposite Dental Materials
Invented the first dental filling material to include nanoparticles that could be used for restoring teeth in any area of the mouth; mimicked the beauty of natural teeth; had better polish retention; and exhibited superior strength than existing dental composites.
Arogyaswami Paulraj: MIMO Wireless Technology
Revolutionized broadband wireless Internet access for billions of people worldwide via MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) that improves both transmission data rates and expands network coverage. It is the essential foundation for all current (Wi-Fi and 4G mobile) and future broadband wireless communications.
Jacqueline Quinn: Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron (EZVI)
An environmentally safe clean-up technology called emulsified zero-valent iron, or EZVI, in the late 1990s to combat chlorinated solvent contaminants left over from space exploration’s early years, this technology provides a method to remove environmental contamination from groundwater in a quick, effective and cost-competitive manner.
Ronald Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adleman: RSA Cryptography
RSA Cryptography is the world’s most widely used public-key cryptography method for securing communication on the Internet and is instrumental to the growth of e-commerce and is used in almost all Internet-based transactions to safeguard sensitive data such as credit card numbers.
Ching Wan Tang and Steven Van Slyke: Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED)
Pioneered the organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, an advance in flat-screen displays found in computers, cellphones and televisions that provides increased power efficiency, longer battery life and improved display quality.
Warren S. Johnson: Temperature Control (Posthumous)
Thermostat and multi-room temperature control system that are commonplace for heating and cooling buildings of all types and sizes. He manufactured and marketed his system by establishing the Johnson Electric Service Company, now known as Johnson Controls.
Howard S. Jones Jr.: Conformal Antennas (Posthumous)
A flat radio antenna that is designed to conform to or follow a prescribed shape. His innovations in antenna technology expanded the capabilities of U.S. defense and space systems, and they continue to impact defense systems to this day.
Mary Engle Pennington: Food Preservation and Storage (Posthumous)
The first female laboratory chief in the history of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Pennington was a pioneer in the safe preservation, handling, storage and transportation of perishable foods.
Joseph C. Shivers Jr.: LYCRA® Fiber/Spandex (Posthumous)
Shivers created LYCRA, the stretchy synthetic fiber known generically as Spandex and it has found applications in other areas including healthcare, home furnishings and the automotive industry.
Paul Terasaki: Tissue Typing for Organ Transplants; Terasaki Tray (Posthumous)
A tissue-typing test that became an international standard for matching potential organ donors with recipients. He also founded the first kidney transplant registry, and his contributions to developing a cold-storage solution for kidney preservation during shipping helped define the field of transplantation science.
