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  • VertueLab

    VertueLab

    VertueLab is a nonprofit that supports climate tech entrepreneurs and cleantech startups in the Pacific Northwest that might otherwise have difficulty accessing traditional sources of capital through direct, program-related investments and accelerator programs. Founded in 2007 as Oregon BEST, it developed from supporting emerging climate-focused companies in Oregon to investing in climate innovation across the…

  • Engineer and Children’s Author Arlyne Simon Breaking Barriers for Female Patent Holders

    Engineer and Children’s Author Arlyne Simon Breaking Barriers for Female Patent Holders

    Simon describes her own invention journey and how she works to inspire other young women and girls to enter STEM fields. At first, biomedical engineer, inventor, and author Arlyne Simon didn’t consider the possibility of becoming an entrepreneur or patent holder. “I don’t think I really associated those terms with something that I would have,…

  • Cultivating Curiosity

    Cultivating Curiosity

    Arlyne Simon doesn’t want to be a statistic. She is a biomedical engineer, patent-holding inventor, author, and entrepreneur. Today, that puts her among a very small number of women — especially women of color — but Simon is on a mission to change that. “I really think inventing is magical. I mean, you identify a…

  • If We Want to Build Back Better, We Need a New Focus on Invention and Innovation

    If We Want to Build Back Better, We Need a New Focus on Invention and Innovation

    A road map to economic resilience and more inclusive prosperity The U.S. is at an economic crossroads, hastened by the effects of the pandemic. As we look for the best ways to revitalize our economy, we are appropriately focused on urgent, short-term needs, like getting people back to work and supporting small businesses such as…

  • National Inventors’ Day: Recognizing the Economic Impact of Invention

    National Inventors’ Day: Recognizing the Economic Impact of Invention

    Three new reports underscore why supporting a robust invention ecosystem is critical for economic resilience and creating the industries of the future. For the last 25 years, The Lemelson Foundation has focused on supporting invention as a catalyst for fueling economies and improving lives. Now, as a new administration is setting its agenda for economic…

  • Engineering for One Planet Initiative Launches Website and Curricular Framework

    Engineering for One Planet Initiative Launches Website and Curricular Framework

    The Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Initiative has launched a website to share information, resources, events and updates with the global engineering education community to help advance the goal of integrating environmental sustainability education in all engineering disciplines. Mobilized by The Lemelson Foundation and VentureWell with collaboration from hundreds of academic, non-profit, and industry leaders,…

  • Invention Roundup: Three Inventors Who Are Designing a More Inclusive World

    Invention Roundup: Three Inventors Who Are Designing a More Inclusive World

    To commemorate International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we’re spotlighting inventors whose work is redefining what it means to be included and reshaping the world so it’s accessible to all. Millions of people live with some form of disability. According to the World Health Organization’s World Report on Disability, 15 percent of the global population…

  • Invention Roundup: Three Inventors Who Are Designing a More Inclusive World

    Invention Roundup: Three Inventors Who Are Designing a More Inclusive World

    To commemorate International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we’re spotlighting inventors whose work is redefining what it means to be included and reshaping the world so it’s accessible to all. Millions of people live with some form of disability. According to the World Health Organization’s World Report on Disability, 15 percent of the global population…

  • Meet the Software Engineer Designing with Inclusivity in Mind

    Meet the Software Engineer Designing with Inclusivity in Mind

    At the intersection of empathy and invention, Jason Grieves develops technology that bridges the digital divide for those with mobility or visual impairments.  If Jason Grieves could boil his invention philosophy down to one phrase it would be this: inclusive design. A software engineer who has worked at Apple, Microsoft and IBM, and the holder…

  • Meet the Software Engineer Designing with Inclusivity in Mind

    Meet the Software Engineer Designing with Inclusivity in Mind

    At the intersection of empathy and invention, Jason Grieves develops technology that bridges the digital divide for those with mobility or visual impairments. If Jason Grieves could boil his invention philosophy down to one phrase, it would be this: inclusive design. A software engineer who has worked at Apple, Microsoft and IBM, and the holder…

  • How Adversity Led to a Lifetime of Engineering and Invention

    How Adversity Led to a Lifetime of Engineering and Invention

    Dr. Rory A. Cooper is a veteran, an athlete and the holder of more than 20 groundbreaking patents in wheelchair and other assistive technology.

  • How Adversity Led to a Lifetime of Engineering and Invention

    How Adversity Led to a Lifetime of Engineering and Invention

    Dr. Rory A. Cooper is an engineer, a veteran, an athlete and the holder of more than 20 groundbreaking patents in wheelchair and other assistive technology. If you use a wheelchair or know someone who does, chances are it includes technology invented by Dr. Rory Cooper. The founder and director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories,More

  • We Have Ten Years Left To Meet the SDG Deadline

    We Have Ten Years Left To Meet the SDG Deadline

    Four recommendations for my colleagues in the sustainable development sector on the vital role of local, invention-based enterprises By any standard, 2020 has been a landmark year of disruption. For the development community, this disruption occurs at the beginning of the final decade to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our shared blueprint to improve…