Innovations ranging from Band-Aids to bioorthogonal chemistry were recognized May 3 as 15 new inductees were honored during the 2017 Illumination Ceremony at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

"Each year, we induct a new class of industry pioneers into the National Inventors Hall of Fame who have conceived and patented innovations to further our nation, and this year's class is no exception," said National Inventors Hall of Fame CEO Mike Oister. "This year's Inductees have provided solutions to life's common problems and as a result, they've enhanced our lives."

The 2017 class and inductees from previous years were recognized during the "Greatest Celebration of American Innovation," a two-day event that gathered innovators from around the world.

"I am humbled and honored to be in such great company," said Frances Ligler, 2017 Inductee and inventor of Portable Optical Biosensors. "As an inventor who has enjoyed making things from my earliest childhood years, I look forward to partnering with the National Inventors Hall of Fame to inspire the next generation of creative scientists and engineers, especially young women who aspire to be inventors in their own right."

The 2017 inductees to the National Inventors Hall of Fame include: Iver Anderson – Lead-Free Solder; Donald Arney – Bambi Bucket for Aerial Firefighting; Carolyn Bertozzi – Bioorthogonal Chemistry; Eli Harari – Floating Gate EEPROM and System-Flash; Marshall Jones – Industrial Lasers; Frances Ligler – Portable Optical Biosensors; Tom Leighton and Daniel Lewin (Posthumous Inductee) – Content Delivery Network;Earle Dickson (Posthumous Inductee) – Band-Aid Adhesive Bandage; Harold "Bud" Froehlich (Posthumous Inductee) – Alvin Deep-Sea Submersible; Haren Gandhi (Posthumous Inductee) – Automotive Exhaust Catalysts; Howard Head (Posthumous Inductee) – Laminate Ski; Oversized Tennis Racket; Beatrice Hicks (Posthumous Inductee) – Device for Sensing Gas Density; Allene Jeanes (Posthumous Inductee) – Dextran Production; Xanthan Gum; and Augustine Sackett (Posthumous Inductee) – Drywall.

For more information on this year’s inductees and programs of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, visit www.invent.org.