Founded in 2010, the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a non-profitable organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging inventors and innovators from various disciplines. GW launched an NAI chapter on April 26 to honor its own thriving community of researchers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. In collaboration with the GW Technology Commercialization Office, the GW NAI Chapter will provide valuable resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities to nurture and support its members.
NAI is committed to the promotion and recognition of academic inventions, which play a critical role in our society as a whole. The 38 inventor members already have either more than one GW-owned issued U.S. patent, a patent licensed by GW, or both. By celebrating these accomplishments and providing a forum for exchange, the creation of the GW NAI Chapter plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of innovation at GW and beyond.
“I am very honored and humbled to be part of this new chapter as this help with accelerating our research and inventions at GW will result in real societal applications with far-reaching impacts on our daily life,” says Professor Ahmed Louri, an IEEE Fellow, David and Marilyn Karlgaard Endowed Chair Professors, recipient of the IEEE Computer Society Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award, and the Distinguished Scholar of OVPR.
Professor Louri was among several other GW Engineering faculty inducted, including Professors Tarek El-Ghazawi, Charles Garris, Stephen Hsu, Matthew Kay, Zhenyu Li, Murray Loew, Thomas Mazzuchi, Richard Millar, David Nagel, Ekundayo Shittu, Danmeng Shuai, Volker Sorger, Jason Zara, and Lijie Grace Zhang. Congratulations to our faculty!
NAI also has a Fellows Program highlighting academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic, development, and the welfare of society. Current NAI Fellows Akos Vertes, Robert H. Miller, and GW Engineering Professors Michael Keidar and Mona Zaghloul have played a crucial role in shaping the direction and objectives of the chapter.
The creation of this chapter is a testament to GW’s commitment to fostering a culture of discovery, creativity, and entrepreneurship. It will cultivate a thriving inventor community at GW that is able to push their inventions beyond the confines of GW laboratories and into the real world.