NAI Fellows' names read into the Congressional Record

The Hon. David W. Jolly, (R-13th District Fla.) honored the 2015 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) by reading their names into the Feb. 25 edition of the Congressional Record, which records the proceedings and debates of the U.S. Congress. Jolly’s action was timed to coincide with the NAI’s formal induction ceremony.

Four people associated with the University System of Maryland were named NAI Fellows in 2015: Professor John Baras (ECE/ISR); ISR-affiliated Professor Ben Shneiderman (CS/UMIACS); Robert Fischell (M.S. ’53, Hon. Sc.D. ’96), professor of the practice and namesake of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering; and Dr. E. Albert Reece of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

An excerpt of Jolly’s comments:

Mr. JOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 168 inventors who will soon be recognized at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and inducted as the 2015 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) in an induction ceremony that will feature a keynote address by U.S. Commissioner for Patents Andrew Hirshfeld. In order to be named as a Fellow, these men and women were nominated by their peers and have undergone the scrutiny of the NAI Selection Committee, having had their innovations deemed as making significant impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. Collectively, this elite group holds nearly 5,400 patents. The individuals making up this year's class of Fellows include individuals from 109 research universities and non-profit research institutes spanning the United States and the world. The now 582-member group of Fellows is composed of more than 80 presidents and senior leadership of research universities and non-profit research institutes, 310 members of the other National Academies, 27 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 36 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and the U.S. National Medal of Science, 27 Nobel Laureates, 14 Lemelson-MIT prize recipients, and 170 AAAS Fellows, among other awards and distinctions. The NAI was founded in 2010 by Paul R. Sanberg at the University of South Florida. Its mission is to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the United States 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. We are greatly indebted to innovators such as these for contributions to society through their inventions. I commend these individuals, and the organizations that support them, for the work they do to revolutionize the world we live in. As the following inventors are inducted, may it encourage future generations to strive to meet this high honor and continue the spirit of discovery and innovation.

Published March 1, 2016