Journeys of Innovation

Each month, our Journeys of Innovation series tells the stories of inventors or entrepreneurs whose groundbreaking innovations have made a positive difference in the world. 

Browse all stories below, or search for a name or story title.

Jackie Quinn examines a piece of equipment on the ground with four team members working in the background
This Month's Journey of Innovation
From the ground up
Jackie Quinn
NASA environmental engineer Jackie Quinn and her team created an emulsion system that removes contaminants from our groundwater.
Full Story
Susann Keohane and co-worker at the IBM aging in place environment/lab with the friendly looking Multi-Purpose Eldercare Robot Assistant (IBM MERA), a first of a kind Watson-enabled application designed to aid the elderly and assist caregivers with real-time information about their health.
Augmenting ability >
Susann Keohane
How an IBM Master Inventor found her special gift in the world. Full Story >
Shawn Springs holds two helmets and poses in front of a wall of helmets.
The coolest award I have >
Shawn Springs
Former NFL cornerback Shawn Springs tackles a new venture: impact protection. Full Story >
A left hand rests on a tabulation machine, and a right hand picks up a card.
Count me in >
Herman Hollerith
How a statistician's competitive spirit laid the groundwork for the modern census. Full Story >
Jim West in a laboratory with three of his graduate students.
Going beyond the horizon >
Jim West
Highly regarded as an acoustic scientist, inventor Jim West is also a devoted mentor and advocate of diversity in STEM. Full Story >
Bob Metcalfe holding an Ethernet cable
Defying the doubters >
Bob Metcalfe
The one wire that connected us all. Full Story >
Rory Cooper in leaned back in a racing chair on a red track, leaned down to become aerodynamic, pushing himself to win
Engineering a better life >
Rory Cooper
An accident changed Rory Cooper’s life and set him on a path to improving the well-being of people with mobility impairments. Full Story >
Image: 1950s KitchenAid illustrated advertisement of a housewife and husband excitedly admiring their new dishwasher. I the top right, dishes magically float from a hospital and industrial dishwasher into their household dishwasher.
"I'll do it myself >
Josephine Cochran
How Josephine Cochran defied social norms and invented the modern dishwasher. Full Story >
Portrait of Temple Grandin
Thinking like the herd >
Temple Grandin
A trip to the farm changed Temple Grandin's life forever. Full Story >
Image: The Black and Decker cordless Lunar Drill operated by an astronaut on a simulated surface of moon
Moondust and marketing magic >
Carroll Gantz
How NASA's moon missions and a patented design led to a popular hand-held vacuum cleaner. Full Story >
Young founders of Agrospheres sitting casually on a couch
Origins of innovation >
Payam Pourtaheri and Ameer Shakleel
For a young startup, the seeds of risk and reward were planted long ago. Full Story >
Image: Helmeted U.S. soldiers look out over the prow of a Higgens boat as it navigates crashing waves towards the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.
The patented boat that won >
Andrew Higgins
How a New Orleans inventor helped defeat the Nazis. Full Story >
Image: Port City® Brewing Company founders Bill and Karen Butcher in the brewery’s taproom hold six packs of some of their registered trademark beers, including, from left, Optimal® Wit, Metro Red®, Monumental® IPA, and Integral® IPA.
Brewing the brand >
Bill and Karen Butcher
In a crowded marketplace, intellectual property helps customers discover new tastes. Full Story >
Image: Chemist Frances Arnold holds a beaker with yellow liquid up to the light.
Beyond the Nobel >
Frances Arnold
Insights from the first American woman to win the Nobel prize in chemistry. Full Story >
Image: Johnson plays around with a Super Soaker® while wearing a shirt patterned with images of his famous creation.
Perseverance and prototypes >
Lonnie Johnson
How eight years of hard work led to the 'overnight success' of the Super Soaker®. Full Story >
Image: Irina Buhimschi and Cherry Murray speak on a panel at the US Capitol on empowering women
Failure or challenge? >
Irina Buhimschi and Cherry Murray
Two trailblazing innovators share insights on science, life in the lab, and beyond. Full Story >
Image: Crops being irrigated in the California Imperial Valley, circa 1919.
A strong will >
Harriet Strong
How one woman’s fortitude shaped agriculture and brought water to the American West. Full Story >
Image: Student studying at night using solar lights
An end to darkness >
Steve Katsaros
For the 1.2 billion people without electricity, one bright idea could change everything. Full Story >
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