Our Story
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.
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.
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.
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
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 |
Leslie Avery
President of NJIHoF 1996 NJIHoF Inventor of the Year Retired from SRI International--Sarnoff |
Ronnie Bochner, MD
2014 NJIHoF Special Award OB/GYN 3270 Rt. 27 Kendall Park, NJ 08824 |
Eric Bleich, Esq
Patent Attorney Greenberg Traurig, LLP 200 Park Avenue Florham Park, NJ 07932-0677 973-443-3562 (work) bleiche@gtlaw.com |
Gertrude Clarke, Ph.D.
President Emerita of NJIHoF Physicist Retired |
Sandra Clavijo, P.E.
Manager, IDEAS Stevens Institute of Technology 1 Castle Point on Hudson Hoboken, NJ 07030 201-216-8186 sfurnbac@stevens.edu |
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 |
George Johnston, Esq
Of Counsel Gibbons P.C. One Gateway Center Newark New Jersey 07102-5310 973-596-4739 (work) GJohnston@gibbonslaw.com |
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) |
David Peacock
Treasurer of NJIHoF Retired Former Director, Intellectual Property Management at Stevens Institute of Technology |
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 |
|
|
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) |