FIFTH EDITION National Academy of Inventors, 3702 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 165, Tampa, FL 33612-9445 USA www.academyonventors.org TABLE OF CONTENTS About the NAI Fellows Program ...............................................................2 Letter from the U.S. Commissioner for Patents ......................................3 Induction Ceremony Speakers ..................................................................4 2016 NAI Fellows Bios ..........................................................................5-48 NAI Fellows Selection Committee ....................................................49-53 In Memoriam .............................................................................................54 Complete List of All 757 NAI Fellows ..............................................55-61 Common Abbreviations ...........................................................................63 Photo: Denis Tangney, Jr. | Cover Photo: Jerry Hopman ABOUT THE NAI FELLOWS PROGRAM Election to NAI Fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to 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. Academic inventors and innovators elected to the rank of NAI Fellow are nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation. The nomination packets are reviewed by the NAI Fellows Selection Committee. The number of Fellows elected each year is dependent on the quality of the nominations submitted. Committee members may not vote on a nominee from their institution. Decisions of the Selection Committee are final. If a nominee is not elected to Fellow status, he or she will remain on record for committee review for three consecutive years. HOW TO NOMINATE FOR NAI FELLOWSHIP Nominees must be: • a named inventor on a patent(s) issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The median for current Fellows is 20 patents. • affiliated with a university, non-profit research institute, governmental agency or other academic entity. The following information must be included with the online submission form: • Nominee’s CV • A full list of nominee’s U.S. patents • Letter of nomination Nominations open July 1 – October 1 annually Submit nominations online at: www.AcademyofInventors.com/Fellows.asp ABOUT OUR FELLOWS The NAI Fellows Program has 757 Fellows worldwide representing nearly 230 prestigious universities and governmental and non-profit research institutions. Collectively, the Fellows hold more than 26,000 issued U.S. patents. With the induction of the 2016 class, there are now 94 presidents and senior leaders of research universi- ties and non-profit research institutes, 382 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; 28 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 45 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science, 28 Nobel Laureates, 216 AAAS Fellows, 126 IEEE Fellows, 102 AIMBE and 116 Fellows of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, among other awards and distinctions. NAI Fellows’ inventions have resulted in over 8,500 licensed technologies, created more than 1.1 million jobs, and generated more than $100 billion in revenue. 2 | 2016 NAI Fellows United States Patent and Trademark Office Office of the Commissioner for Patents February 27, 2017 Dear Friends: On behalf of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, I congratulate the NAI's newly elected 2016 class of Fellows. The USPTO is privileged to participate in recognizing these 175 academic luminaries of innovation and invention, who have been bestowed this high professional distinction. I also want to congratulate the NAI, which continues to celebrate and honor the outstanding achievements of many of the top minds in academic research, both nationally and internationally. The USPTO recognizes the significant impact that NAI Fellows have made on our society and quality of life, and I am honored to serve on the Selection Committee for these distinguished individuals. The USPTO values collaboration with the NAI and the friendship which has developed through our shared mission to advance and protect innovation. Our work together, now and in the future, will continue to benefit the innovation community worldwide. Again, congratulations to the 2016 NAI Fellows. You are among the nation's top academic innovators and inventors and deserve much recognition for your outstanding achievements. Warmest regards, Andrew H. Hirshfeld Commissioner for Patents U.S. Patent and Trademark Office P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 • ww.uspto.gov 2016 NAI Fellows | 3 2016 FELLOWS CEREMONY SPEAKERS Welcome Remarks Paul R. Sanberg President, National Academy of Inventors Paul R. Sanberg, Ph.D., D.Sc., FNAI, is founder and president of the National Academy of Inventors, and senior vice president for research, innovation, and economic development at the University of South Florida. He trained at York University, University of British Columbia, Australian National University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, among others, and held academic positions at Ohio University, University of Cincinnati, and Brown University. He holds 43 U.S. and 110 foreign patents and has served on numerous scientific advisory boards for health-related foundations and companies. He is author of more than 600 scientific articles and 14 books, with over 27,000 citations to his work, co-editor-in-chief of Technology and Innovation, and serves on editorial boards for more than 30 scientific journals. He is a Charter Fellow of the NAI, and fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassador, Florida Inventors Hall of Fame inductee, Florida Academy of Sciences Medalist, and serves on the nomination eval- uation committee of the United States National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Introduction of the Keynote Speaker Randy E. Berridge Former President, Florida High Tech Corridor Council Randy E. Berridge held the position of president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council since its inception in 1996. He recently announced his retirement but will continue to serve in a leadership and planning support role until June 30th. Berridge also serves as president of the Berridge Consulting Group, Inc. Previously he held management positions with AT&T includ- ing chair of its Central Florida Management Council, district manager of public relations for the Florida division and manager in the legal, HR and manufacturing divisions. Berridge cur- rently serves on the board of governors of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and chair of the 2017 Selection Committee for the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. He is a past member of the Enterprise Florida Stakeholder Council, Florida Research Consortium, Foundation for Florida’s State Colleges and the National Center for Simulation. He is an Emeritus Board Member of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. Keynote Speaker Andrew H. Hirshfeld Commissioner for Patents, United States Patent and Trademark Office U.S. Department of Commerce Andrew H. Hirshfeld, Esq., is commissioner for patents for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He was appointed to the position in July 2015. Hirshfeld leads and manages more than 10,000 employees as the patent organization’s chief operating officer, and manages and directs all aspects of patent operations, examination policy, patent quality management, interna- tional patent cooperation, resources and planning, and budget administration. In his previous role as deputy commissioner for patent examination policy, he served as an authority on pat- ent laws, rules, and examining practice and procedure, and provided oversight and direction for the Offices of Petitions, Patent Legal Administration, and the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. Hirshfeld previously served as chief of staff to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. He began his career at the USPTO in 1994 as a patent examiner, became a supervisory patent examiner in 2001, and was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in 2008 as a group director in Technology Center 2100, Computer Architecture and Software. Hirshfeld holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Vermont, and a juris doctorate degree from Western New England College School of Law. Hirshfeld served as a mem- ber of the NAI Fellows Selection Committee. 4 | 2016 NAI Fellows FELLOWS | David Akopian The University of Texas at San Antonio David Akopian, Ph.D., is university professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Akopian is an innovator in human-machine inter- action and guidance, including mobile applications, wireless sensing and location technologies. His first inventions were in the area of integration of GPS receivers and mobile devices. Akopian is the recipient of four inventor awards. He holds 25 U.S. and foreign patents and seven filed pat- ent applications, which were applied in Nokia products and UTSA testbed systems serving several federal and state projects. He has published nearly 200 articles, three book chapters,