Meet 3 Inspiring Asian Pacific American Inventors
The National Inventors Hall of Fame® has the honor and privilege of recognizing some of the world’s greatest inventors – our Hall of Famers! To celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we encourage you to uncover the stories of the following innovators who have improved lives across the world and remain incredible role models for each of us today.
Margaret Wu
Industrial chemist Margaret Wu has earned more than 100 U.S. patents and revolutionized the field of synthetic lubricants by changing how automobile and industrial lubricants are designed and synthesized.
In 1977, Wu joined ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co., and by the mid-1980s she began developing a new class of polyalphaolefin (PAO), a synthetic base oil used in synthetic lubricants. With her PAO synthetic base oil, Wu was able to create a product that improved engine performance, oil life and fuel economy while reducing engine wear and waste oil. Synthetic lubricant products based on Wu’s work can be found today in everything from passenger car engines to industrial machines like wind turbines.
Amar Bose
Amar Bose was an internationally recognized pioneer of modern acoustics. In 1956, he joined the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his research led to the development of new, patented technologies, and with these patents he founded Bose Corp. in 1964.
Bose achieved worldwide acclaim for the introduction of groundbreaking products — from customized sound systems for cars to active noise-reducing headphones — as well as improvements across the fields of acoustics, electronics, nonlinear systems and communication theory. Under his leadership, 100% of Bose Corp.’s profits were reinvested back into the company, enabling advancements in areas beyond audio.
Jokichi Takamine
Biotechnology visionary Jokichi Takamine’s research in his Manhattan lab led to the use of adrenaline in medicine. He obtained five patents related to the isolation and crystallization processes in 1903. Also known as epinephrine, adrenaline is widely used to treat heart and respiratory problems including cardiac arrest and anaphylaxis. The EpiPen® autoinjector is a well-known medical device that uses adrenaline to treat life-threatening allergic reactions.
Born in Japan, Takamine used his scientific and entrepreneurial successes to create meaningful opportunities to promote Japanese culture in America — including arranging the shipment of several thousand cherry trees from Japan to Washington, D.C., in 1912. These trees remain a widely recognized symbol of friendship between the two countries.
Meet More of Our Nation’s Greatest Innovators™
To discover more awesome innovations and world-changing inventors, we encourage you to explore our full list of impressive Hall of Famers.