Stony Brook Receives National Academy of Inventors Chapter of Excellence Award

Wei Zhao (center) receiving the NAI Chapter of Excellence Award from Elizabeth Dougherty, Eastern Regional Outreach Director, and Paul R. Sanberg, president, National Academy of Inventors.

Stony Brook University has been awarded the 2024 National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Chapter of Excellence award, recognizing Stony Brook's commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. This honor highlights Stony Brook's significant achievements in key areas such as innovation, community impact, chapter support and collaboration.

The award was received by Wei Zhao, NAI fellow and professor in the Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering in the Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, at the NAI annual conference which took place June 16-18 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The NAI Chapter of Excellence award is granted to chapters that demonstrate outstanding leadership in nurturing a culture of innovation. Stony Brook University has long been a leader in this area, providing extensive resources and support for inventors and entrepreneurs through Intellectual Property Partners(IPP) and the NAI-SBU chapter.

"IPP is proud to have supported the SBU NAI chapter in its pursuit of this well-deserved award. With support from IPP, our chapter leadership and all of our chapter's fellows and members have created a chapter that is truly remarkable in its size, diversity, and activities supporting innovation at SBU," said Sean Boykevisch, director of IPP and executive director of the NAI-SBU chapter. "There are so many exciting opportunities on the horizon for innovation and entrepreneurship at SBU, and I look forward to our chapter promoting, educating and recognizing the SBU innovators of tomorrow."

With the support of IPP, the chapter organizes informational and networking events, provides activities aimed at strengthening the innovation community on campus, and honors early-career innovators with an annual Young Academic Inventors Award and a Young Inventors Symposium. Jointly with IPP, the chapter organizes panel discussionswith participation from academic researchers and entrepreneurs, which cover the most important, topical, and contradictory questions related to innovation and entrepreneurship.

"Since the establishment of Stony Brook chapter of NAI in the fall of 2015, the NAI-SBU chapter set its mission very clearly and successfully created a community of academic inventors on this campus," said Iwao Ojima, distinguished professor in the Department of Chemistryand president of the NAI-SBU chapter, of the award. "We are proud of having 16 NAI fellows, 113 NAI members, 18 NAI honorary members, and 23 NAI-SBU Young Academic Inventor awardees. The NAI-SBU Chapter is a truly exemplary and leading chapter in NAI and will continue to execute its mission in close cooperation with IPP."

"Innovation and invention play a crucial role in driving economic growth, improving quality of life, and fostering competitiveness and sustainability across various industries. Not only does the NAI-SBU chapter raise the visibility of the Stony Brook inventors, but also contributes significantly to the nurturing of the SBU innovation community," said Peter Donnelly, economic development associate vice president for Technology Partnerships, following the award announcement. "The chapter serves as a source of support and inspiration for the researchers on their path in inventorship, and I am happy to extend my congratulations on receiving the well-deserved NAI 2024 Chapter of Excellence Award."

Under the guidance of dedicated faculty and administrators, Stony Brook has cultivated an environment that encourages creativity, collaboration, and the translation of research into real-world applications. This award reflects the collective efforts of the university community in advancing scientific discovery and technological development, and reinforces Stony Brook's reputation as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurial activity.

- Beth Squire

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