National Academy of Inventors Includes Draper Personnel as Charter Members
The National Academy of Inventors has included four Draper Laboratory staff members in its inaugural group.
The Academy (www.academyofinventors.org), which is based at the University of South Florida and was launched in January 2010, is intended to recognize innovative research and development leaders, foster collaboration amongst organizations in the field, and encourage further breakthroughs.
The Academy hopes to facilitate industry research contracts and interaction with companies and organizations that can positively impact university communities. The Academy’s mission also includes mentoring students and highlighting member inventions that benefit society.
The inaugural members from Draper are: Len Polizzotto, Ph.D., Draper vice president for strategic business development and marketing; Shankar Sundaram, Ph.D., director for the Draper Bioengineering Center at USF; Phil Hipol, engineering group leader at the Bioengineering Center; and Joe Cuiffi, Ph.D., principal investigator at the Bioengineering Center.
Membership is open to inventors who hold at least one patent and belong to a university community (i.e. faculty, staff, alumni, or affiliates). The inventors must join through a university chapter.