INDUCTEES: 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007

Adam E. Cohen, 17, New York, NY

Adam has been a "gadgeteer" since he was five years old, creating gadgets and electronic devices from scavenged parts. When Adam was fifteen, he visited Princeton University where he witnessed a demonstration of a scanning tunneling electron microscope. He promptly went home and built one out of LEGO® parts. Adam then fashioned his electron microscope into the Electrochemical Paintbrush. This amazing device "paints" tiny lines of copper so small that it can print fifty words end-to-end in a space the width of a human hair. This is sixteen imes smaller than present devices used to fabricate microchips.

The Electrochemical Paintbrush was awarded 1st place honors at the 1997 Westinghouse Science & Talent Search, and 2nd place at the International Science and Engineering Fair. While his invention is being patented, Adam is studying Physics and Chemistry at Harvard University.

Jeremy Kiser is a gifted artist, writer, and inventor. When he was seventeen, his uncle suggested the need for more effective safety devices at train intersections to prevent collisions with cars and buses. This gave Jeremy the idea for the Guardian Angel -- an invention comprised of two simple parts: an inexpensive radio transmitter installed in trains, and a receiver installed in buses and cars. When a vehicale approaches a train track, the transmitter signals the bus or car if a moving train is within a distance of one-fourth mile.

The Guardian Angel received 2nd place honors in the 1997 NSTA/Duracell Scholarship Award program. Several individuals in state government have expressed interest in installing these devices in all Ohio trains and buses. Jeremy is presently developing his invention to include both a strobe and voice warning system.

Karen Mendelson, 16, Worcester, MA

Karen Mendelson was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Massachusetts when she was two years old. At the age of three, Karen’s nursery school teacher told Mrs.Mendelson to buy some books for her because she was already starting to read on her own.

In 10th grade, Karen read about victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. This often occurs when fuels are burned in enclosed spaces and can cause flu-like symptoms, often resulting in death. Karen’s battery-powered invention can quickly diagnose carbon monoxide poisoning by measuring light transmission through blood that is drawn from a pin prick.

Karen's device won 2nd place at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in 1997, and has been featured on MSNBC, NBC Today, as well as in Business Week and Popular Mechanics.

The next year, she won 1st place at the Intel Science & Engineering Fair for inventing a device that can measure hemoglobin without drawing blood from the patient.

Karen is one of only two students from the U.S. invited to visit Stockholm for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prizes. Karen plans to attend college and earn a Ph.D. in medical research.

While doing a geometry assignment that required cutting specific angles from a sheet of paper, Ariel got the idea for the Calibrated Angle and Depth Scissors. These scissors are equipped with a protractor that allows the user to easily cut precise angles and depths without having to use a pencil.

The Calibrated Angle and Depth Scissors won first place at the 1997 Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Award program. Ariel plans to attend college and study engineering in order to fulfill his dream of going into space as a civilian astronaut.

When Brandon was five, his mother received a pacemaker implant. Afterwards, she frequently had to provide an EKG to the hospital via a telephone modem. This was done by means of electronic sensors attached to her wrists through the telephone lines. These sessions were very time consuming because the senosrs were too loose and they did not provide a solid electrical connection.

Brandon furnished the sensors with elastic, which improved the fit. He also prepared sealed packages containing small electrolyte-soaked sponges to improve electrical conductivity.

In 1998, the PaceMate was awarded by the Student Ideas for a Better America competition. Brandon has appeared on Nickelodeon, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and The Maury Povich Show. Brandon has also formed his own company to provide other pacemaker users with his upgrades.

Aside from being an inventor, Brian is an accomplished sailor, an above-average musician, and a part time emergency medical worker who has used CPR to save lives. Once, while assisting a victim of an auto accident, Brian noticed that the policeman on the scene had to spend his time directing traffic rather than assisting with more urgent matters. This gave Brian the idea for a portable traffic signal that law officers could use under emergency conditions.

His invention, the Emergency Traffic Signal, was awarded 3rd place in the 1995 Duracell/NSTA Scholarship Award program. Due to the influence of his emergency medical work, Brian has created a second potentially life-saving invention -- the H.E.L.P. (Handheld Emergency Link to the Polic -- which won the 1995 Intel Science Talent Search. Brian plans to pursue a career in either medical science or law.