In commendation of his work in the field of chemical engineering, Boston University President Robert Brown was named a 2014 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, according to a Tuesday press release.
Brown was one of 170 innovators recognized Tuesday by the NAI, which honors academic innovation at universities and non-profit research institutes across the United States, according to the release. In total, the organization has 414 fellows representing over 150 institutions.
“It is an honor to be counted among so many amazingly innovative people,” Brown said in a statement published in BU Today Wednesday. “In my role as NAI Fellow, I look forward to supporting the efforts of NAI to promote academic technology and innovation — especially the applied use of inventions to improve quality of life and spur the economy.”
Fellows are peer-nominated and chosen by a 17-member selection committee, according to the release. They must be named an inventor on at least one patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to be considered for the fellowship, according to the NAI’s website.
Colin Riley, a spokesman for BU, said Brown was named a fellow for facilitating innovation and research over the course of his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in more recent years at BU.
Riley said the achievement reflects well on Brown’s intellect and creativity.
“He’s in verified company,” he said. “It reflects well on the leadership of the university. I’m sure for some people, it makes BU an interesting place to consider either becoming a faculty member or applying as a student.”
Prior to arriving at BU in 2005, Brown served as dean of MIT’S School of Engineering and head of the department of chemical engineering. He has published more than 250 papers in his academic career and is a member of several science and education academies and associations, including the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, Riley said.
Brown is BU’s eighth faculty member to be named a NAI fellow, and the fourth in the engineering field. Kenneth Lutchen, dean of BU’s College of Engineering, said Brown’s honor bodes well for BU’s engineering department.
“[This] continues to convey that we’ve got faculty that do research and have worked and had careers in which they translate the research into inventions that can impact society,” he said. “It reaffirms that even at the level at the leadership of the institution, we have people that appreciate that the institution’s main function is to move society forward in whatever our respective levels of expertise might be.”
Brown will officially become a NAI Fellow in March 2015 at the organization’s fourth annual conference, which will be hosted at the California Institute of Technology, according to the release.
Several students said they found it interesting to hear more about Brown’s background and what he does at BU.
“I wasn’t aware that President Brown was involved in the fellowship, but it is great that Boston University is being recognized for its innovation,” said Ja’nae Stewart, a sophomore in the School of Management.
Ian Quillen, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said Brown’s accomplishment highlights research at BU and what it means to be an inventor.
“It reflects well on BU’s research … BU has a really well-developed program,” he said. “It means you’re able to see what knowledge we already have and figure interesting ways in combining it, like finding gaps in the knowledge and expanding on it and exploring it.”
J.D. Capelouto and Inaara Tajuddin contributed to the reporting of this article.
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