Pradeep Rohatgi, Distinguished Professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Election to NAI Fellow status is a high professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation by creating inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.
The academic inventors and innovators elected to the rank of NAI Fellow are named inventors on U.S. patents and were nominated by their peers.
The holder of 20 U.S. patents, Rohatgi is a world leader in synthesis of metal matrix composites (MMCs), high-performance metal blends that are cheaper, lighter and stronger than the original alloys. He created several MMCs that have been used widely in electromechanical machinery, thermal management applications and the transportation sector.
His research on green materials includes lightweight self-lubricating materials that conserve energy in transportation, lead-free copper composites for the plumbing industry, and the use of fly ash (a waste byproduct of power generation) for the synthesis of ultra-light, energy-absorbing and self-healing metal composites.
Rohatgi has received millions of dollars in research funding and has been a consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations on materials policy. He is a fellow of 11 professional institutions.
The Deputy U.S. Commissioner for Patent Operations, from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), will induct the NAI Fellows during the 4th Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors, on March 20, 2015, at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
To honor these academic luminaries of invention and innovation, a plaque listing the name and institution of each NAI Fellow will be on permanent display at the USPTO.
The 2014 NAI Fellows will be recognized with a full page announcement in The Chronicle of Higher Education Jan. 16, 2015 issue, and in upcoming issues of Inventors Digest and Technology and Innovation.
Those named today bring the total number of NAI Fellows to 414; they include 21 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame; 16 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation; 10 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Science; 21 Nobel Laureates; 107 AAAS Fellows; and 62 IEEE Fellows.
The 2014 NAI Fellows Selection Committee comprises 17 members, including NAI Fellows, recipients of U.S. National Medals, National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees, members of the National Academies and senior officials from the USPTO, Association of American Universities, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of University Technology Managers, and National Inventors Hall of Fame.
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As Wisconsin’s premier public urban institution, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee enjoys a growing national reputation for excellence in research, teaching and community engagement. On an operating budget of $680 million, it educates nearly 28,000 students and is an engine of innovation for Southeastern Wisconsin. The 104-acre main campus and satellite sites are located in the economic and cultural heart of the state. The university’s recent expansion includes new academic and research facilities, and the creation of the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health and the only School of Freshwater Sciences in the United States.
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The National Academy of Inventors® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization comprised of U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutions, with over 3,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 200 institutions, and growing rapidly. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI edits the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation, published by Cognizant Communication Corporation (NY). www.academyofinventors.org
