The National Inventor’s Hall of Fame made news by having 2 black women as inductees.

The National Inventor’s Hall of Fame. Have you heard of it? I hadn’t I regret to admit. They’re about 50 years old located in Alexandria, Virginia and honor people who work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They have a museum and each year they have inductees. This year they are making news because 2 of their 2022 inductees are black women. It’s not the first time their inductees are black, there are 30 black inductees and it is not the first time there are women, there are 48, it is the first time black women have been inducted. They are part of the 29 people who make up the class of 2022 and who join the some 600 inductees since their inception.  One of the 2 women is engineer Marian Croak who has been instrumental in voice over internet technology, something that has enabled video conferencing and telecommuting so important during the pandemic, such as in zoom for example. She is currently with google working with AI and human centered technology. She holds about 200 patents. The other is Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist who invented laser phaco a minimally invasive device to better remove cataracts and which is very widely used. Deceased in 2019 she also held many patents. Both not only break ground in terms of being part of this hall of fame, they follow in the institution’s claim that the people they honor contribute not only to our quality of life but also are behind the engine that help the economy grow.