2022 NIHF Inductees Make Inspiring Visits to Camp Invention

At the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® (NIHF), we know that when children are introduced to innovative role models from a young age, they are more likely to be innovative when they grow up. Through each summer’s all-new Camp Invention^® program, children across the country get to know the greatest innovative role models: NIHF Inductees.

Every child who attends Camp Invention engages in hands-on experiences that are directly influenced by and infused with lessons from Hall of Famers. At select locations, campers can even meet Inductees in person.

Inductees who visit camp provide unparalleled inspiration and encouragement, sharing personal stories and emphasizing the importance of curiosity, persistence and teamwork. Read on to learn about members of our 2022 NIHF Inductee Class who were among the Hall of Famers who made personal visits to camps this summer.

Sylvia Blankenship

In collaboration with her co-inventor, chemist Edward Sisler, horticulturalist Sylvia Blankenship developed the compound 1-MCP — a safe way to slow the ripening of picked fruit and delay the wilting of cut flowers.

In June, Blankenship visited Lacy Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina. She encouraged young inventors to find inspiration in nature as they took part in activities like designing and patenting their own aquatic plants in the Robotic Aquatics^™ experience.

Mick Mountz and Peter Wurman

Co-inventors Mick Mountz, Peter Wurman and Raffaello D’Andrea invented the world’s first robotic warehouse order fulfillment system.

This summer, Mountz visited a camp program at Beverly Middle School in Beverly, Massachusetts, and Wurman visited campers at Crisafulli Elementary School in Westford, Massachusetts. Both inventors shared their insights as children took on challenges like building robotic artists in the NIHF’s The Attic^™ experience.

Margaret Wu

The inventor of a new class of synthetic lubricants, Margaret Wu has changed the way automotive and industrial lubricants are designed and made.

Wu paid a visit to the campers at St. James Academy in Monkton, Maryland, in July. She provided guidance to children engaged in experiences like Marble Arcade^™, where they rolled gaming spheres though their marble arcade designs and explored potential and kinetic energy.

Dana Bookbinder and Pushkar Tandon

Dana Bookbinder, Ming-Jun Li and Pushkar Tandon created bend-insensitive optical fiber, enabling the installation of optical fiber in previously inaccessible locations.

In July, Bookbinder and Tandon visited two camps in New York: R.C. Buckley Elementary School in Lansing and Dundee Central School District in Dundee. The co-inventors boosted the confidence of campers taking part in imaginative activities like constructing an Astro-Arm device in the Spacecation^™ experience.

Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller and Polly Smith

With their invention of the sports bra, Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller and Polly Smith removed a barrier to women’s participation in athletics, advanced women’s health and launched a global industry.

In August, each of these Hall of Famers made visits to Seton Catholic in Plattsburgh, New York. Not only did they encourage campers, but they also took time to meet with Leadership Interns — high school and college students volunteering at Camp Invention. Lindahl, Miller and Smith each provided advice and inspiration these young leaders will carry with them into the future.

Learn More About Our Inductees

More stories about NIHF Inductees and their world-changing work can be found on our website. For more on Camp Invention and other NIHF programs, we invite you to visit our blog.