Impact Spotlights

Latest

  • The Smithsonian Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation

    The Smithsonian Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation

    Documenting the history of invention and inspiring visitors through hands-on, experiential activities about the invention process

  • Celebrating Black Inventors and Innovators

    Celebrating Black Inventors and Innovators

    From sustainability to health to entertainment, these inventors are pushing boundaries and improving lives and livelihoods

  • Mentorship in STEM and Invention Education

    Mentorship in STEM and Invention Education

    These ten educators are empowering teachers and the rising generation of inventors and innovators.

  • From Waste to Wattage

    From Waste to Wattage

    This student inventor uses an innovative renewable energy source to help monitor natural disasters.

  • New Year’s Resolutions for the Impact Incubation Industry

    New Year’s Resolutions for the Impact Incubation Industry

    What all accelerators and funders should know to overcome the challenges to being a successful social impact incubator In the field of social impact entrepreneurship, incubators and accelerators play a critical role. Without them, countless innovative ideas to solve sustainable development challenges would remain just that — ideas without tangible impact. And many entrepreneurs in…

  • Celebrating Hispanic Inventors, Educators, and Trailblazers

    Celebrating Hispanic Inventors, Educators, and Trailblazers

    Working in classrooms, laboratories, hospitals, and even outer space, these innovators have pushed the boundaries to improve lives for people everywhere.

  • This High-Schooler is Harnessing Chemistry to Combat Pollution

    This High-Schooler is Harnessing Chemistry to Combat Pollution

    An award-winning student inventor, Tarun Batchu has discovered an eco-friendly way to convert plastics into fuel.

  • Smashing Ceilings and Building Solutions: 14 Trailblazing Women Inventors

    Smashing Ceilings and Building Solutions: 14 Trailblazing Women Inventors

    In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting women whose ideas and inventions are aimed at improving lives and solving global problems. “I was always trying to figure out the magic that made things tick.” That’s how Jeanelle Dao, an eighth grader from San Jose, California, describes her earliest childhood inclinations toward invention. Last year,…

  • From Past to Present: 12 Black Inventors and Innovators to Know

    From Past to Present: 12 Black Inventors and Innovators to Know

    Throughout history, innovators from diverse backgrounds have helped change the world and improve lives. To celebrate Black History Month, we’re highlighting 12 past and present Black inventors whose impact ranges from medicine to voting accessibility. In February, we commemorate Black History Month and celebrate National Inventors’ Day — an opportunity to showcase both pioneering Black…

  • Fighting Wildfires Through Invention

    Fighting Wildfires Through Invention

    A close encounter with a California wildfire inspired 16-year old Prisha Shroff to design a system to mitigate devastating blazes in the future. When she was 13 years old, Prisha Shroff saw something that made her want to change the world. She was in the car with her family, driving from Los Angeles to their…

  • This Invention Helps Open the Door to Accessibility

    This Invention Helps Open the Door to Accessibility

    A pattern-sensing doormat was inspired by eighth grader Jeanelle Dao’s family history with hand disability. An eighth grader at Stratford San Jose Middle School in California, Jeanelle Dao is unlocking a solution to a problem that she learned about through her grandfather. He had arthritis in his hands, which made opening doors with a key…

  • From STEM to Spotify: How an After-School Invention Program Helped Launch a Career in Big Tech

    From STEM to Spotify: How an After-School Invention Program Helped Launch a Career in Big Tech

    After moving from Vietnam to the U.S. in fourth grade, Spotify engineer Thien Nguyen discovered his love for math, as well as a supportive community, through his new school’s MESA program. Engineer Thien Nguyen discovered his facility for numbers and a supportive community through Invention Education. Thien Nguyen was born in Vietnam and lived there…