NIHF Inductees Connect With the Next Generation at Camp Invention

With each summer’s Camp Invention^® program, children across the country are invited to explore and experiment as they take on brand-new challenges influenced by the world’s greatest inventors. Each experience is designed to bring the stories and lessons of National Inventors Hall of Fame^® (NIHF) Inductees to life, introducing children to innovative role models and inspiring them to become innovators themselves.

Many NIHF Inductees are directly involved in developing Camp Invention curricula, and some even visit camp program sites to interact with, advise and encourage campers. Read on to learn about some of the Hall of Famers who made personal visits to camp this summer.

Gary Sharp

Hall of Famers Gary Sharp and Kristina Johnson invented polarization-control technology, which is used in projection televisions, front-projection displays and most 3D digital cinema installations. Sharp holds more than 130 U.S. patents.

In June, Sharp visited Camp Invention at Hudson Elementary School in Hudson, Colorado. He helped campers to practice persistence and see the value of collaboration as they teamed up in the Marble Arcade^™ experience, working together to design and test their own marble arcade filled with twists and turns.

Frances Ligler

A leader in the optical biosensor industry, Inductee Frances Ligler invented portable optical biosensors, which have benefited fields from health care to food production to military operations. She holds more than 30 U.S. patents.

In July, Ligler visited Camp Invention program sites at both A&M United Methodist Church and Greens Prairie Elementary School in College Station, Texas. Having always looked to the natural world for innovative inspiration, Ligler encouraged campers to keep exploring nature after learning about symbiotic relationships under the sea in Robotic Aquatics^™.

Edmund Schweitzer III

Revolutionizing electric power system performance and greatly influencing the electric power utility industry, Hall of Famer Ed Schweitzer invented the first microprocessor-based digital protective relay. He holds more than 200 patents.

In August, Schweitzer paid a visit to the young innovators participating in Camp Invention at Kamiak Elementary School in Pullman, Washington. He inspired campers to be confident, creative problem solvers as they took on challenges like constructing a Spacepack for exploring beyond the Earth in the Spacecation^™ experience.

Eric R. Fossum

Inductee Eric Fossum invented the CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensor, the miniaturized camera technology used in more than 6 billion cameras produced each year, including nearly every smartphone. He holds more than 175 U.S. patents.

Fossum met campers at three program sites in New Hampshire this year. In June, he made a visit to Crescent Lake School in Wolfeboro, and in August, he visited camps in both Moultonborough and Strafford. As campers engaged in hands-on challenges like creating their own moving images in the NIHF’s The Attic^™ experience, Fossum helped them to see connections between science and art, and to understand how inventions have shaped the way people create.

Learn More

To learn about some of our new 2022 Inductees who also visited Camp Invention this summer, we invite you to read our blog!