Thomas Mensah: First African inducted into US Academy of Inventors

65 year-old Ghanaian scientist, Dr Thomas Mensah, added yet another accolade to his bulging CV by being inducted into the United States’ elite National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

In addition to being an accomplished chemical engineer, leading the field of fibre optics and nanotechnology, and a front runner in the research of material with applications in aeronautics, Dr Mensah has at least 25 Issued and pending patents to his name.

According to the NAI: “A researcher’s contribution reaches the benchmark of inventorship as recognized by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because its discovery had no significant prior art, was not obvious to someone else skilled in the field, and had a specific use. Although every invention and every inventor is unique, some things are common to all. It takes imagination and ingenuity to be an inventor.”

[youtube id=”612Hud5KkB4″ mode=”normal”]

During a ceremony at the organisation’s 4th annual conference in March, he expressed his wishes for his induction to serve as inspiration to young Africans.

” [I am] greatly humbled by my NAI Fellowship and recent induction and hope that it serves as an inspiration to young people worldwide, especially in Africa, that they can attain whatever they set themselves out to do provided they stay focused and dedicated in hard work.”

Dr Mensah is a passionate researcher of green energy and currently serves as President CEO of Georgia Aerospace Systems in the US. Check out his website for more information: http://www.thomasmensah.com/