Dr. Laurencin was recently contacted by the President of the National Academy of Inventors requesting his commitment to serve on the 2020 – 2021 Board of Directors of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). NAI is a non-profit which recognizes and encourages inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhances the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourages the disclosure of intellectual property, educates and mentors innovative students, and translates the inventions of its members to benefit society.
Dr. Laurencin is deep rooted in the Academy as he is currently a NAI Fellow and President of the UConn NAI Chapter. The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Election to NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.
Under the direction of Dr. Laurencin, the mission of the UConn Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors is to:
- Promote scientific innovation and inventorship across all disciplines in the UConn community
- Develop educational and mentorship programs around invention and inventorship
- Increase awareness regarding innovation and encourage the disclosure of intellectual property
- Drive engagement by bringing academia and industry together and
- Create a platform to share the lessons learned by the Uconn inventors and other research communities in CT