2020

Daniela Blanco, New York University

Chemical reactors for sustainable chemical processes and an optimized system for energy storage and hydrogen production

Marx Acosta-Rubio, Grant Christensen, and Hal Jones, Brigham Young University

Neptune Plastics, Inc.: Biodegradable Plastic
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Celestine Ananda, Nicholas Bartel, Bennett Bartel, Taylor Peterson, and Cassandra Bossong, Carthage College

Modal Propellant Gauging (MPG): A system that provides real-time fuel gauging for aircraft and spacecraft
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Tzu-Chieh (Zijay) Tang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Syn-SCOBY: a smart pollutant-sensing filter and DEPCOS for ultra-safe water applications
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Shriya Srinivasan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Healthcare advances for amputees that restore a sense of touch and better mobility
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Siddharth Iyer, Jasmine Hu, Mathias Insley, Diane Lee, and Eric Lin, Johns Hopkins University

Augeo: A cryogel polymer-based embolization solution to treat hemorrhaging patients
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

2019

Cody Friesen

Creates renewable energy technologies
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Mercy Asiedu, Duke University

Callascope, a cervical cancer diagnosis device and a smartphone algorithm to classify cervix images
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Laura Hinson, Madeline Lee, Sophia Triantis, and Valerie Zawicki, Johns Hopkins University

Ithemba: A reusable, low-cost, contamination-free breast biopsy device
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Julie Bliss Mullen, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Electrochemical Water Purification Technology and Chlorine Generator
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Enid Partika and William Tanaka, University of California San Diego

The BioEnergy Project – Repurposing Food Waste
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Federico Scurti, North Carolina State University

SMART Conductor and Enhanced Optical Fiber Sensors
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Morgen Glessing and Josh Horne, Brigham Young University

Portal Entryways: A wireless device that opens disabled-accessible doors
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Arnav Kapur, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

AlterEgo, a non-invasive-peripheral-nerve computer interface and ISGEC platform
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

2018

Luis von Ahn

inventor of reCAPTCHA, co-inventor of CAPTCHA and creator of a free language-learning platform, Duolingo.
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Guy Satat , Massachusetts Institute of Technology

All Photons Imaging and FemtoPixel
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Maher Damak, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Charged Polymers for Sticky Agricultural Sprays, and Water Recovery in Cooling Towers
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Kayla Nguyen, Cornell University

Electron Microscope Pixel Array Detector (EMPAD) and Low-Cost airSTEM
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Melissa Austin, Eric Cao, Talia Kirschbaum, Theodore Lee, and Harrison Nguyen, Johns Hopkins University

N-Stent: Daily-Wear Nasal Breathing Aid
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Treyetech: Kali Barnes, Stephanie Cai, Akash Chaurasia, Conan Chen, and Eric Chiang, Johns Hopkins University

Novel Device to Revolutionize Eye Corneal Transplants
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Tyler Clites, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Agonist-antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI) and Pollex Grasp
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

2017

Feng Zhang

Pioneer of the revolutionary CRISPR technology and optogenetics
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Tomás Vega and Corten Singer , University of California, Berkeley

WheelSense: An Open-Source Smart Add-On System for Wheelchairs
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Tony Tao, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A Small, Mid-Air-Deployable, Folding Electric Drone, and Adaptable Aircraft Manufacturing (AAM) Architecture
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Chen Wang, Chandani Doshi, Grace Li, Jessica Shi, Charlene Xia, Tania Yu , Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tactile: A Real-Time Text-to-Braille Converter
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Apoorva Murarka , Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Contact-Printed Nano-membrane Transducers for Sound Production
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Matthew Rooda, J. Abraham Espinoza , University of Iowa

SwineTech: SmartGuard Device – Real-time health analysis for farmers
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Natasha Wright, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Solar-Powered Desalination System for Off-Grid Water Production in India and Gaza and Usage Sensor for Household Water Treatment Devices
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Maria Filsinger Interrante, Christian Choe, Zachary Rosenthal , Stanford University

Novel Proteins to Fight Superbug Bacterial Infections
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Lisa Tostanoski, University of Maryland - College Park

Innovative Biomaterials-based Strategies to Combat Autoimmune Disease
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Katy Olesnavage, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Method to Design a Better Prosthetic Foot
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

2016

Ramesh Raskar

Inventor of Femto-photography
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Catalin Voss, Stanford University

Autism Glass Project
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Jason Kang, Katherine Jin and Kevin Tyan, Columbia University

Highlight: A Powdered Additive for Disinfectants
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Dan Dorsch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The First High-Performance, Lightweight Clutchless Hybrid Transmission
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Heather Hava, University of Colorado Boulder

Better Connections between Humans and Plants on Earth and in Space
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Kale Rogers, Michael Farid, Braden Knight and Luke Schlueter , Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The World’s First Completely Automated Restaurant
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Achuta Kadambi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Superhuman Visual Systems to Capture Light
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Thomas Pryor and Navid Azodi, University of Washington

SignAloud: Gloves that Transliterate Sign Language into Text and Speech
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

2015

Jay Whitacre

Inventor Creates First Mass-Produced Low-Cost, Eco-Friendly Battery; Awarded $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Joseph Barnett and Stephen John, Western Michigan University

Respiratory Solution for Premature Infants around the World
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Carl Schoellhammer, MIT

Enhancing Pain-Free Drug Delivery in Patients via the Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Josh Siegel , MIT

Connecting “Hidden” Vehicle Data with a Cloud-based Platform to Create Powerful and Transformative Applications
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Alexander Richter , North Carolina State University

Game-changing Innovation to Help Solve the Global Food Scarcity Challenge
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Justin Keenan and Kevin Paroda, Penn State University

The Next Dimension of 3D Printing
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

2014

Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia

Inventor Creates Tiny Technologies For Medicine; Awarded $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

David Sengeh, MIT

Designed next-generation wearable mechanical interfaces that improve comfort for amputees
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Tyler Ovington, Alex Devon and Kayla Gainey, Clemson University

GlucoSense: A low-cost glucometer and strip system for diabetics in resource-poor settings
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Benjamin Peters, MIT

Reconfigurable Forming Tools – Looking Beyond 3D Printing
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Winner

Christopher Haid, Mateo Pena Doll, AJ Perez and Forrest Pieper, MIT

Automated 3D printing for the classroom
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Winner

Everett Lawson, MIT

Invented eyeMITRA
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Finalist

John Lewandowski, MIT

Low-cost, reusable, handheld, mechanical malaria diagnostic
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Finalist

Nigel Reuel , MIT

Invented tiny sensors that probe critical quality attributes of protein based drugs to improve drug development
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Finalist

Aaron Maharry, Ohio State University

Invented OncoFilter
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Finalist

Jackson Morton, Duke University

Invented the Chymos Needle for surgical bile duct procedures
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Finalist

Matthew Nojoomi, Rice University

Invented a safe, low-cost, easy to use, two joint robotic arm that attaches to a wheelchair
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Finalist

Kamal Shah, Rice University

Invented a mechanical, easy-to-use tool that automatically limits the volume of fluid that is dispensed to children during intravenous therapy.
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Finalist

Joseph Azzarelli, MIT

Invented a two-step method to convert Near Field Communication (NFC) radio frequency identification tags into chemical sensors
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Finalist

Adam Paxson, MIT

Invented a durable coating for condensers, appropriate for tough industrial settings, that improves its efficiency.
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Finalist

Rahul Mukherjee, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Developed high-performance lithium-ion batteries designed to facilitate integration in electric vehicles
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Finalist

Analisa Russo, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Invented Circuit Scribe, a rollerball pen filled with conductive silver ink for sketching circuits on paper.
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Graduate Finalist

Undergraduate Team lead by Angela Chu, MIT

Invented BitDex, a fast and accurate optical identification system for drill bits
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Finalist

Elliot Kastner, Andrew Smist, Quinn Connell and Noah Glennon, Dartmouth College

Developed a mobile tackling football target
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Finalist

Theodora Koullias and Victoria Tam, MIT

Invented a luxury leather handbag integrated with fuel cell technology and LEDs
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Undergraduate Team Finalist

2013

Angela Belcher

Genetically engineers viruses to create new products.
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Drs. Rebecca Richards-Kortum & Maria Oden

Inventors bringing life-saving health solutions to the developed world
Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation
Winner

Nikolai Begg

Inventor of medical devices that are making surgical procedures less invasive
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Ahmed Kirmani

Invented compact, low power cameras that capture the world in three-dimensions
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

Benjamin Peters

Inventor of a pin bed mechanism for directly forming physical three-dimensional contoured surfaces from a digital file
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

2012

Stephen Quake

Commercialization of inventions Revolutionizing Human Health
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Dr. Ashok Gadgil

Global Innovation for Scientific Solutions to the Global Water Crisis, and Energy and Fuel Efficiency
Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation
Winner

Miles Barr

Invented the first-ever solar cells fabricated on everyday substrates
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Uri Laserson

Invented an analyzer for the immune system
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

Jay Silver

Developed Drawdio, a circuit-craft that attaches to an ordinary wooden pencil and turns drawings into musical instruments
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

2011

John A. Rogers

Invented healthcare tools that can better integrate with the human body
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Elizabeth Hausler

Culturally Accepted, Sustainable Reconstruction in Developing Countries
Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability
Winner

Alice Chen

Invented a humanized mouse with a tissue-engineered human liver
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Miles Barr

Invented the first-ever solar cells fabricated on everyday substrates
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

2010

Carolyn Bertozzi

Invented the world’s first bioorthogonal chemical reaction, a technology for labeling biomolecules in living cells or animals.
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

BP Agrawal

Developed Rainwater harvesting system and mobile health clinics to improve the quality of life for villagers in rural India.
Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability
Winner

Erez Lieberman-Aiden

Invented a ground-breaking method for three dimensional genome sequencing called “Hi-C”.
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Barry Kudrowitz

Toy designer and co-founder of MIT Toy Lab
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

Amos Winter

Invented the Leverage Freedom Chair
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

2009

Chad A. Mirkin

Invented Dip-Pen Nanolithography and nanoparticle-based biodetection schemes
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Joel Selanikio

Invented EpiSurveyor, mobile software for public health workers
Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability
Winner

Geoffrey von Maltzahn

Developed a new class of therapeutics that provides more precision to cancer ablation.
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Erez Lieberman-Aiden

Lead Inventor of the iShoe
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

Aviva Presser

Developed sustainable microbial fuel cell technology and co-inventor of the Soccket
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

2008

Joseph M. DeSimone

Invented PRINT® (Particle Replication in Non-wetting Templates) technology used to manufacture nanocarriers in medicine.
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Martin Fisher

Invented low-cost, human-powered irrigation pumps to help subsistence farmers become self-reliant entrepreneurs.
Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability
Winner

Timothy Lu

Invented processes to combat bacterial infections by enhancing the effectiveness of antibiotics at killing bacteria
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Manu Prakash

Invented “Bubble Logic,” an all-fluidic system to control sub-nanoliter quantities of biological and chemical reagents in microfluidic devices.
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Finalist

2007

Timothy M. Swager

Invented an amplified chemical sensor that uses molecular wires to detect the presence of vapors from explosives.
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Lee Lynd

Invented advanced technologies for converting biomass feedstocks into motor vehicle fuels.
Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability
Winner

Nate Ball

Invented the ATLAS Powered Rope Ascender
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

2006

James Fergason

Developed and improved modern liquid crystal technology
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Sidney Pestka

Developed antiviral treatments for chronic diseases
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

Carl Dietrich

Invented the Transition; a personal air vehicle
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

2005

Elwood “Woody” Norris

Created a sonar tool to isolate different movements inside the human body: Transcutaneous Doppler system
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Robert Dennard

Developed the one-transistor dynamic random access memory (DRAM).
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

David Berry

Innovations in stroke and cancer treatments
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

2004

Nick Holonyak

Invented the first practical LED (light emitting diode)
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Edith Flanigen

Invented molecular sieve zeolites.
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

Saul Griffith

Invented low-cost device for manufacturing eyeglass lenses, electronic rope and recyclable 3D LEGO chocolate printer
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

2003

Leroy Hood

Invented some of modern molecular biology's core instruments, including the DNA Sequencer.
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

William Murphy, Jr.

His inventions include significant improvements on the early cardiac pacemakers, artificial kidneys, cardiac catheters and disposable medical trays.
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

James McLurkin

Developed 'swarm' microrobots based on the principles of nature to carry out real-world tasks.
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

2002

Dean Kamen

Invented IBOT, a battery-powered wheelchair that can climb stairs and the Segway.
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Ruth Benerito

Modernized the cotton industry through her scientific invention of wrinkle-free, wash-and-wear fabrics.
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

Andrew Heafitz

Designed a low-cost aerial surveillance system that utilizes a rocket
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Kavita Shukla

Invented and patented FreshPaper—a low-cost, compostable paper to keep produce fresher longer.
Invention Apprentice
Winner

2001

Raymond Kurzweil

Invented the first reading machine for the blind
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Raymond Damadian

Developed the first MR (Magnetic Resonance) Scanning Machine
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

Brian Hubert

Created a universal nano-assembly machine
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Jordan Sand

Solar distillation device to purify outdoor water and eco-friendly paper
Invention Apprentice
Winner

2000

Thomas Fogarty

Revolutionized surgical embolectomy procedures
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Al Gross

The "founding father" of wireless communications
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

Amy Smith

Designed a motorized hammermill
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Charles Johnson

Baby Buzzer"—a mat with a device that sounds a buzzer when stepped on, alerting parents when babies are close to staircases.
Invention Apprentice
Winner

1999

Carver Mead

Revolutionized the semiconductor industry with very-large-integrated circuits.
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Stephanie Kwolek

The invention of Kevlar®, the high-strength fiber that is the life-saving material of bulletproof vests.
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

Daniel DiLorenzo

Designs and builds implantable microelectrodes to facilitate sensory feedback in prosthetic limbs
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

Krysta Morlan

Water bicycle for both therapeutic and recreational uses and the "Cast Cooler"
Invention Apprentice
Winner

1998

Robert Langer

Langer's research into polymers led to the slow release of micro-encapsulated doses of ionic drugs, peptides and other large molecule drugs.
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Jacob Rabinow

Inventions include automatic letter-sorting machine for the U.S. Postal Service; automatic regulation of clocks and watches; the magnetic particle clutch used in cars and airplanes; etc.
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

Akhil Madhani

Black Falcon—a tool for minimally invasive surgery.
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

1997

Douglas Engelbart

Invented the computer mouse
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Gertrude Elion

Developed cures for cancer and leukemia
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

Nathan Kane

Invented the HydroRail™ —a modular hydrostatic bearing for machine tools; and the Pass-It™
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

1996

Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen

Opened the door to genetic engineering and laid the foundations for gene therapy and the biotechnology industry
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

Wilson Greatbatch

Invented a device that emitted electricity pulses to the heart.
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

David Levy

Invented the Fastap™ keypad, formerly known as OneTouch™
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner

1995

William Bolander

Develped mathematical models for automotive computers
Lemelson-MIT Prize
Winner

William Hewlett and David Packard

Co-founders of Hewlett-Packard Company
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner

Thomas Massie

Invented PHANTOM 3-D Touch interface for computers
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Winner