The Power of “Five-Tool Inventors” in Driving Innovation

As I reflect on 2024, I remain inspired by the transformative power of invention — a force that continuously reshapes our world and fuels remarkable growth within our organization.

This power is exemplified by the extraordinary accomplishments of our National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductees and reminds me of a rare phenomenon in sports: the five-tool professional baseball player. These elite athletes excel in every aspect of the game – blazing speed on the basepaths, the ability to hit for both average and power, Gold Glove-worthy fielding and a strong, precise throwing arm.

Similarly, five-tool inventors are exceedingly rare, even among the greatest minds in innovation. These exceptional individuals possess a unique combination of abilities that distinguish them as true game-changers. I believe five-tool inventors stand out for their mastery of five critical skills:

1. Applying science and engineering expertise to solve complex problems.
2. Creating inventions that are not only novel enough to receive one or more U.S. patent(s) but also groundbreaking enough to stand alongside the 639 luminaries in the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
3. Demonstrating go-to-market entrepreneurial resilience and expertise in risk management and failing fast.
4. Commercializing inventions into real-world customer solutions while adapting, evolving, and sustaining their products and businesses.
5. Mastering their academic field with a deep understanding of its principles and advancements, and paying that forward through educating, training and inspiring the next generation.

This rare blend of skills empowers inventors to transform ideas into innovations that often solve real-world challenges while creating lasting, widespread impact in multiple industries.

Eric R. Fossum: A Five-Tool Inventor

Take, for example, 2011 Inductee Eric R. Fossum. His CMOS image sensor camera-on-a-chip technology has revolutionized how we capture and share images. Through commercialization, his invention has become ubiquitous, powering everything from smartphone cameras and medical imaging devices to automotive safety systems, security and even space exploration.

Fossum’s journey exemplifies the essence of a five-tool inventor - a visionary who not only conceived and developed groundbreaking technology but also maximized its potential, transforming it into an innovation that impacts billions of lives today.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Five-Tool Inventors

Stories like Fossum’s are embedded throughout our education programs serving as powerful examples for the next generation of innovators. At the National Inventors Hall of Fame, we recognize that inspiring young minds to follow in the footsteps of these trailblazers requires constant evolution.

In recent years, we have reinvented our processes, products and services to better serve students, parents, educators and school districts nationwide. By transforming our distribution systems, product development cycles and customer-enabling software, we now deliver customized learning solutions with unprecedented speed and precision.

The results speak for themselves. In 2024, we inspired over 406,000 students and educators through programs like Camp Invention® and Invention Project®. These experiences are now more interactive and engaging than ever, equipping students with the creativity, problem-solving skills and confidence needed to tackle challenges head-on. Independent research consistently reinforces their impact, showing that participants gain greater interest in science, technology, engineering and math; have their science and math anxieties reduced; and demonstrate improved academic performance and attendance - laying a strong foundation for lifelong learning and long-term success.

The Mindset of Innovation

While we celebrate these achievements, we also recognize that innovation is not born out of necessity alone – it is a mindset. As we emphasize in all our PreK-12 programs, innovation is a way of thinking that drives continuous reinvention and progress. The I Can Invent® Mindset, informed by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees, is cultivated in all of our participants.

In the near future, the young innovators we inspire today will become five-tool inventors of tomorrow - mastering their disciplines, pioneering new technologies, and navigating the complex journey from idea to market with the same resilience, ingenuity and impact as the Hall of Famers who preceded and inspired them. Join us, at the National Inventors Hall of Fame, in ensuring that the future of American innovation thrives by bringing our programs into your community and supporting our mission through philanthropic giving.