Press Releases

Portland, OR – The Lemelson Foundation, the world’s leading funder of invention in service of social and economic change, today announced that it has added Juliana Rotich to its Advisory Committee and hired Pam Kahl as communications officer. These two additions mark expansion of the Foundation’s strategic leadership. Rotich, the co-founder and executive director of…

15 Student Teams Nationwide Set Sights on Inventing Solutions to Real-World Problems The Lemelson-MIT Program today introduced the 2016– 2017 InvenTeams, 15 teams of high school students nationwide, each receiving up to $10,000 in grant funding to solve real-world problems through invention. The InvenTeam initiative, now in its 14th year, inspires youth to invent utilizing hands-on,…

Cambridge, Mass – Ramesh Raskar, founder of the Camera Culture research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab and associate professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, is the recipient of the 2016 $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. Raskar is the co-inventor of radical imaging solutions including Femto-photography, an ultra-fast imaging camera that can see…

Washington, DC – First piloted in 2013, The AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassadors Program has served as a platform for inventors to demonstrate their role as change agents in society and as problem solvers.  Since its inception, there have been two classes and 14 Ambassadors selected that meet the program’s’ vision to “showcase the human face of…

Couch to build upon program’s 20-year success in celebrating invention and inspiring youth to invent Cambridge, Mass – The Lemelson-MIT Program today announced the hire of Dr. Stephanie Couch as executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program. Couch brings 16 years of experience in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education policy, research, development and deployment and…

The Lemelson Foundation, Intel Sponsor Middle and High School Engineering and Science Competition Portland, OR – More than 350 young inventors from five school districts in Portland Metro and Salem will show their mettle as prospective future engineers, inventors, and scientists during the Oregon MESA Day Middle and High School Engineering and Science competition.  The one-day event…

Portland, OR – The Lemelson Foundation, the world’s leading funder of invention in service of social and economic change, today announced it will add three new members to its Advisory Committee. The new advisors are: Mir Imran, the founder of InCube Labs and a respected healthcare entrepreneur and inventor; Kara Miller, the host and executive…

Portland-based grantmaker joins more than 100 other foundations divesting from carbon-based industries like coal, oil and gas Portland, OR– The Lemelson Foundation, the world’s leading funder of invention in service of improving lives and promoting social and economic progress, today announced it will sign on in support of DivestInvest Philanthropy, a growing coalition of more than 100…

Endowment will support top thinkers’ collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Portland, OR– The Lemelson Foundation, the world’s leading funder of invention in service of social and economic change, today announced endowment of the Arthur Molella Distinguished Fellowship at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH). Honoring Dr. Arthur Molella’s long…

Cambridge, Mass – Dr. Angela Belcher, a materials chemist and one of the world’s leading scientists in nanotechnology, was announced today as the recipient of the 2013 $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. Belcher has drawn inspiration from nature and its ability to create materials. She believes that if organic and inorganic materials can combine in nature to produce exquisite…

Our partners at the Lemelson-MIT Program today announced Rebecca Richards-Kortum and Maria Oden as the joint recipients of the 2013 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation in recognition of their work in developing inventions — in collaboration with their university students at Rice University — that improve access to health innovations for the world’s poorest communities. Drs. Richards-Kortum and…