Patricia Bath, MD, Inducted Into National Inventors Hall of Fame
Patricia Bath, MD, was among seven innovation pioneers inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) Dr. Bath, who was inducted posthumously, contributed to the invention of laserphaco, allowing surgeons to use ultrasound to perform all steps of cataract removal, including making the surgical incision, destroying the lens and vacuuming out the fractured pieces. Dr. Bath is also recognized as the first Black woman physician to receive a medical patent.
In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), NIHF will honor Dr. Bath on May 5, 2022, at “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation” ceremony.
Other members beind inducted include:
Marian Croak: VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Technology
Engineer Marian Croak has worked on advancing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies, converting voice data into digital signals that can be easily transmitted over the internet. Her work has allowed VoIP to become a practical reality by enabling reliability and high quality. Today, VoIP technology is vital for remote work and conferencing, as well as personal communications.
Lonnie Johnson: Super Soaker
Engineer and entrepreneur Lonnie Johnson is the inventor of the Super Soaker, which became a best-selling toy generating well over $1 billion in sales over its lifetime. Johnson’s longtime research focuses on energy technology, and his work today includes advances in rechargeable battery technology and thermodynamic technology to convert thermal energy to electrical energy.
Katalin Karikó and Dr. Drew Weissman: Modified mRNA Technology Used in COVID-19 Vaccines
Fundamental research by biochemist Katalin Karikó and immunologist Drew Weissman laid a critical piece of the foundation for the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The mRNA vaccines have been crucial in the fight against the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV 2, a new coronavirus discovered in 2019. Nearly 1 billion mRNA vaccine doses have been administered worldwide since December 2020.
Carl Benz: Modern Automobile (Posthumous)
German engineer Carl Benz was the first to design a car around the internal combustion engine rather than adding an engine to an existing wagon or carriage, a critical insight in auto evolution. By integrating the engine, chassis and drive into a single entity, Benz set the standard for all future automotive design and engineering.
James Buchanan Eads: American Infrastructure and Defense (Posthumous)
James Buchanan Eads created a series of inventions during the 1800s that improved transportation and the military defense of the Mississippi River region. His widespread innovations were crucial to river salvage, the success of the Union Navy during the Civil War, and infrastructure and engineering that enabled major advances in commerce.
These seven innovators join the 22 NIHF Inductees announced in 2020, as all 29 will be honored as the class of 2022 at the Annual National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The Inductees announced in 2020 include:
• Dr. R. Rox Anderson: Laser Dermatology
• Sylvia Blankenship and Edward Sisler (Sisler, Posthumous): 1-MCP for Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Freshness
• Dana Bookbinder, Ming-Jun Li and Pushkar Tandon: Bend-Insensitive Optical Fiber
• Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller and Polly Smith: Sports Bra
• James McEwen: Automatic Surgical Tourniquet
• Mick Mountz, Peter Wurman and Raffaello D’Andrea: Mobile Robotic Material Handling for Order Fulfillment
• Margaret Wu: Synthetic Lubricants
• James Abercrombie and Harry Cameron: Blowout Preventer (BOP); (Posthumous)
• Stewart Adams and John Nicholson: Ibuprofen (Posthumous)
• Evelyn Berezin: Computer Systems for Business Use (Posthumous)
• Edward W. Bullard: Hard Hat (Posthumous)
• Floyd Smith: Modern Parachute (Posthumous)
• Frank Zybach: Center-Pivot Irrigation (Posthumous)
For biographies of each Inductee, visit https://www.invent.org/inductees/new-inductees.