Three faculty members from the Texas A&M University College of Engineering are among 66 academic inventors named to the inaugural class of senior members by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The new senior members include Dr. Jaime Grunlan, Linda & Ralph Schmidt ’68 Professor in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Duncan J. Maitland, associate department head and Stewart & Stevenson Professor I in the Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Dr. Richard Miles, TEES Eminent Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
NAI senior members are active faculty, scientists and administrators from NAI with success in patents, licensing and commercialization. They have produced technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society.
“Congratulations to our faculty members who have been elected to this first class of NAI senior members,” said Dr. Mark A. Barteau, vice president for research and NAI fellow. “This recognition pays tribute to their knowledge, skill and talent as well as to the role that Texas A&M plays in encouraging and nurturing research and innovations from start to finish. Together, these faculty members and Texas A&M are making the world a better place for all of us.”
Senior members also foster a spirit of innovation within their communities through enhancing an inventive atmosphere at their institutions, while educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors.
This inaugural class of NAI senior members represents 37 research universities and government and nonprofit research institutes. They are named inventors on over 1,100 issued U.S. patents.
“We are truly excited about each of our NAI awardees this year whose research and inventions range across novel multifunctional surfaces and coatings (Grunlan), advanced shape memory polymers for implantable medical devices (Maitland), and microwave, lasers and magnetohydrodynamic technologies (Miles),” said Dr. Bala Haridas, executive director for technology commercialization and entrepreneurship for the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. “This technological diversity, world-class research and translation to practical application truly represents the exciting work by researchers in Texas A&M Engineering.”
A full list of NAI senior members is available on the NAI website.