NJ Inventors Hall of Fame 2018
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NJ Inventors Hall of Fame

The New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame (NJIHoF) was formed in 1986 to honor inventors, organizations, and others who have contributed to innovation in New Jersey. The first Award Banquet was held in at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1989. The New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame is led by a Board of Trustees and is currently co-sponsored by Stevens Institute of Technology and the patent law firm, Greenberg Traurig, LLP. As of January 2018, 375 individuals and corporations have been honored by the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame for their inventive achievements and significant positive impact on society.

New Jersey has a rich history of invention thanks to its large mix of corporate laboratories, scientists, engineers, and inventors. Once home to the great Thomas Edison, who industrialized the process of invention at his factories in Menlo Park (now Edison) and West Orange, as well as Bell Telephone, RCA Laboratories, and many pharmaceutical companies, the state continues to be a powerhouse of creativity and innovation. It ranks fourth nationally in the total number of United States patents issued while ranking only eleventh in population.

Because New Jersey is the only state with its own inventors’ hall of fame, the United States Patent Office and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio, have recognized the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame for its outstanding organization and commitment to honoring those who seek to improve our lives through technology. The New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame makes awards through induction into its Inventors Hall of Fame and selections for Inventors of the Year, Innovators, Special Awards, Graduate Student Awards, Corporate Awards and others as deemed appropriate by the Board of Trustees, to promote the invention process and to stimulate inquiry-based and trans-disciplinary learning.
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To qualify for nomination to the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame, an inventor must have lived or worked in the state during the period of his or her inventive project, or have been educated or born in the state. Candidates are ranked on several measures, the most of important of which is how well the invention or its patent was commercialized or used, as well as the significance of its impact on society. An Innovator Award and a Graduate Student Award does not require a patent, whereas patents are a prime requirement for other categories. Categories of awards and nomination form provide our submission address and due date. Nominations for the Graduate Student Award category must be submitted by appropriate college professors. Forms may be submitted at any time, and are held for the next review period. It is customary for the current Governor of New Jersey to provide a letter of recognition to each awardee at the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame awards banquet. 

NJIHoF Board Members

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Joseph Agostino, Esq
​VP of NJIHoF
Of Counsel
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
500 Campus Drive
Florham Park, NJ  07932-0677
973-443-3572  (work)
AgostinoJ@gtlaw.com

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Leslie  Avery
President of NJIHoF
​1996 NJIHoF Inventor of the Year
Retired from SRI International--Sarnoff

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Ronnie Bochner, MD
2014 NJIHoF Special Award
OB/GYN
3270 Rt. 27
Kendall Park, NJ 08824
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Eric Bleich, Esq
Patent Attorney
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
200 Park Avenue
Florham Park, NJ  07932-0677
      973-443-3562 (work)           bleiche@gtlaw.com
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Gertrude Clarke, Ph.D.
President Emerita of NJIHoF
Physicist
Retired
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Sandra Clavijo, P.E. 
Manager,  IDEAS 
Stevens Institute of Technology
1 Castle Point on Hudson
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201-216-8186           sfurnbac@stevens.edu
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Anthony Del Campo, MBA
Executive Director
Office of Commercialization and Technology Ventures
Hackensack University Medical Center
30 Prospect Ave.
​Research Building RC211
Hackensack, NJ 07601


Ricky John, Ph.D.

Technical Adviser, Retired
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
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George Johnston, Esq
Of Counsel
Gibbons P.C.
One Gateway Center
Newark New Jersey 07102-5310
973-596-4739 (work)
GJohnston@gibbonslaw.com
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Lillian Labowsky, Ph.D.
2013 NJIHoF Advancement of Invention Process Award
Science Teacher at Ridgewood High School
627 East Ridgewood Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
201-670-2800 (work)
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David Peacock
Treasurer of NJIHoF
Retired Former Director, Intellectual Property Management at
Stevens Institute of Technology


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Vince Smeraglia, Esq
Director, Office of Research Commercialization
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
33 Knightsbridge Rd, 2nd Floor Room F249
Piscataway, NJ  08854
848-932-4551 (work)
vincent.smeraglia@rutgers.edu
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Michael Y. Wong, M.D.
Secretary of NJIHoF
2008 NJIHoF Innovators Award
Ophthalmologist at Princeton Eye Group
419 North Harrison Street
Princeton, NJ  08540
609-921-9437 (work)
609-921-0277 (fax)
© COPYRIGHT 2018  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Nominate
    • Award Categories
    • Nomination Form
  • Awardees
    • Awardees
    • Nobel Laureates
  • Get Involved
  • Donations
  • About Us
  • Contact