Jan 8, 2020

1-MCP, center-pivot irrigation inventors honored

Twenty-two innovation pioneers were announced Jan. 8 as the National Inventors Hall of Fame 2020 class of Inductees on stage at Consumer Electronics Show. 

Three inventors with ties to agriculture will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame ((NIHF) this year. Sylvia Blankenship and Edward Sisler co-invented 1-MCP for fruit, vegetable and flower freshness, and Frank Zybach invented center-pivot irrigation. 

These innovators, whose landmark inventions range from the hard hat to the sports bra, will be celebrated as the newest class of Inductees during the NIHF Induction Ceremony. In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), NIHF will honor these Inductees in Washington, D.C. on May 6-7 at one of the innovation industry’s most highly anticipated events — “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation.”

“My passion for science and creating led me to a career in engineering,” said 2020 Inductee Raffaello D’Andrea, a pioneer of mobile robotic material handling for order fulfillment, professor at ETH Zurich and founder of Verity. “It’s an honor to be recognized alongside Mick Mountz and Pete Wurman for our accomplishments at Kiva Systems.”

The class of 2020 includes:

• Sylvia Blankenship and Edward Sisler (Posthumous): 1-MCP for Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Freshness

Blankenship and Sisler invented 1-MCP, a compound that has become essential in preventing food waste, and increasing accessibility to fresh fruits, vegetables and cut flowers.

•  Frank Zybach: Center-Pivot Irrigation (Posthumous)

Zybach invented the center-pivot irrigation technology that has revolutionized agricultural production not only in America’s heartland but throughout the world.

For full biographies of each Inductee, visit https://www.invent.org/inductees/new-inductees.

The class of 2020 will be honored at “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation,” a two-day event held in our nation’s capital. Danica McKellar – star of the TV show “The Wonder Years,” Hallmark Channel regular, and author of New York Times bestselling McKellar Math books – will serve as master of ceremonies.

• May 6 – Illumination Ceremony at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum at the USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, where new Inductees will place their names on  illuminated hexagons in the museum’s Gallery of Icons^™.

• May 7 – The 48th Annual National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., where the new Inductee class will be honored for its contributions to society during an evening event including a black-tie dinner, ceremony and after party. To learn more about the event, visit https://www.invent.org/induction.

“Innovation is the foundation for everything we do at the National Inventors Hall of Fame,” said NIHF CEO Michael Oister. “Our class of 2020 – and their world-changing inventions as diverse as ibuprofen, optical fiber, the word processor and the parachute – will be incorporated into our Innovation Ecosystem and our leading children’s STEM programs such as Camp Invention.”

The 2020 National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is sponsored by the USPTO, Qualcomm, AgroFresh, Corning, North Carolina State University and Red Point Digital.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is the premier nonprofit organization in America dedicated to recognizing inventors and invention, promoting creativity, and advancing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Founded in 1973 in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, NIHF is committed to not only honoring the individuals whose inventions have made the world a better place, but to ensuring American ingenuity continues to thrive in the hands of coming generations through its national, hands-on educational programming and collegiate competitions focused on the exploration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Explore the NIHF Museum digitally in Google Arts & Culture’s “Once Upon a Try” project. For more information, visit invent.org. To nominate an inventor for Induction, visit invent.org/nominate.

Photo at top: Sylvia Blankenship and Edward Sisler co-invented 1-MCP for fruit, vegetable and flower freshness.