Find the Most Innovative Role Models Ever

Did you know the very best role models can be found in the National Inventors Hall of Fame®? It’s true! More than 600 inventors have been inducted so far, and each one has a unique story to share.

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Inductee Jacqueline Quinn helps a student put the finishing touches on their robot
Hall of Famer Jacqueline Quinn helps an elementary student put the finishing touches on their robot prototype made of pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks.
Inductee Victor Lawrence listens as a Camp Invention camper describes the structure they built using cardboard
National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee Victor Lawrence listens as a Camp Invention® camper describes the structure they built using cardboard and duct tape.
Inductee Robert Bryant encourages a group of elementary students as they work together to design an invention prototype
Hall of Famer Robert Bryant encourages a group of elementary students as they work together to design and create an invention prototype at Camp Invention.
Inductee Sylvia Blankenship talks with Camp Invention campers about the fishbowl environments they are creating
Inductee Sylvia Blankenship talks with Camp Invention campers about the fishbowl environments they are creating during one of the program experiences.
Inductee Rodolphe Barrangou listens as a Camp Invention camper explains their invention idea
Hall of Famer Rodolphe Barrangou listens as a student at Camp Invention explains their innovative idea for a miniature pop-up business.

Meet Some of Our Newest Inductees

Our 2024 Inductees have shaped the world around us with their inventions — and they started out as curious kids, just like you!

James Allison

Inductee James Allison studied how the immune system works so he could figure out how to eliminate cancer cells without hurting any normal cells. His invention of a treatment called immune checkpoint blockade therapy has helped save and improve the lives of many cancer patients.

What is your superpower?
I was always very curious.

What were some of your hobbies growing up?
"If you couldn’t find me curled up with a book, I was probably in the garage dissecting frogs or making homemade bombs to test in the nearby woods.” (Nobel Prize Interview on its website)

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Shankar Balasubramanian

Inductees Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman worked together to develop a new way to determine the order of nucleotides that make up a strand of DNA — the genetic information inside our cells that makes us who we are. Their invention, Sequencing-by-Synthesis (SBS), helps people understand diseases and perform important research and testing.

What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring kid inventors?
It is important to explore and to not be put off by failing because each experience changes you and nudges you in a slightly different direction.

What were some of your hobbies growing up?
Football, football and more football! I also worked on a nearby farm as a laborer for a few years and I credit that for teaching me hard work.

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Eric Betzig

Inductees Eric Betzig and Harald Hess co-invented a super-resolution imaging technology called photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM). This invention lets people see inside cells more clearly than they ever could before. PALM is helping scientists study biological structures, processes and diseases.

What inspired you to become an inventor?
My father. He characterized himself as an inventor because he spent his life inventing and making tools for the automotive industry. I also grew up around a lot of inventors.

What were some of your hobbies growing up?
I latched on to the space program around the time I was in kindergarten. I was drawn to the exploration and the excitement, the rockets and the power.

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Andrea Goldsmith

Inductee Andrea Goldsmith made it possible for people to connect to faster wireless service. Her invention of adaptive beamforming for multi-antenna Wi-Fi enabled fast, reliable wireless service with fewer disruptions. Nearly every cellular and Wi-Fi network in the world has been influenced by her innovations.

What is your superpower?
Resilience.

What inspired you to become an inventor?
When I started taking engineering classes, I was captivated by the application of math and science to solve interesting problems in engineering and creating technologies that impacted people.

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Harald Hess

Inductees Harald Hess and Eric Betzig collaborated to invent photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM), a super-resolution imaging technology. Making it possible for scientists to look inside cells with amazing clarity, PALM has improved our understanding of biology.

What is your superpower?
Curiosity.

What were some of your hobbies growing up?
I explored my interest in physics through science projects. I used resources from local shops, junkyards, libraries and medical supply catalogs from my father.

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David Klenerman

Inductees David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian co-invented Sequencing-by-Synthesis (SBS), which is used in labs all over the world. This new method of determining the order of nucleotides in a piece of DNA helps us understand the essential information in our genes. It has advanced biology, medicine and more.

What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring kid inventors?
My advice to young scientists is: try. The worst thing that can happen is you might fail, but on the other hand it might work as well or better than what happened to us.

What were some of your hobbies growing up?
I did a lot of sports - swimming, water polo, rugby, tennis and squash.

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Asad Madni

Inductee Asad Madni led the development of the MEMS gyroscope for aerospace and automotive safety. Also known as the GyroChip, this invention detects and measures an object’s motion. It helps us navigate and control vehicles, ensuring their stability. The GyroChip was first used in the aerospace and defense industries, and now it’s used worldwide to keep us safe in cars and planes.

What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring kid inventors?
Believe in yourself.

What were some of your hobbies growing up?
I enjoyed playing sports, carrom and chess but my primary passion was for art, especially working with watercolors and charcoal. I also was fond of designing cars, bridges, homes and other projects from the Meccano set that I received as a gift from my parents and uncle.

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Lanny Smoot

Inductee Lanny Smoot has made Disney experiences extra magical by developing many Theatrical Technologies and Special Effects for The Walt Disney Company’s theme parks, resorts and more. His inventions, from interactive floors to realistic lightsabers, have enhanced Disney guests’ experiences and are also paving the way for even more exciting innovations in the future.

What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring kid inventors?
Practice your craft, figure out how to learn more about what you want to do. It is important to constantly be doing the thing that you want to be.

What inspired you to become an inventor?
My dad started me off. He could fix everything, including televisions, without specific training. In my earliest memory, my dad brought home a battery, a bell and some wire, and he got the bell to ring, and the light lit up, and he's wiring this on a tabletop. And I was like, “What is this? I have to do this!”

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Xiaowei Zhuang
Xiaowei Zhuang,
Xiaowei Zhuang

Inductee Xiaowei Zhuang invented stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM). STORM is great for investigating biological processes and structures because it creates higher resolution pictures than other kinds of microscopes. Zhuang and her team used STORM to find new cellular structures.

What is your superpower?
I really have focus.

What was your favorite subject in school?
I've always been interested in physics since I was a child.

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