Dean Kamen receives the Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy and Employment for a set of inventions that have advanced medical care worldwide and for his dedication to awakening America's next generation to the excitement of careers in science and technology.
Mr. Kamen has made significant contributions to medical technology, with inventions that range from drug pumps to innovative dialysis machines. But despite this work and the success it has brought him, Mr. Kamen has found time to create and nurture US FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an enterprise committed to enhancing public respect for the fields of science and technology and inspiring the next generation to pursue them. Motivated by a deep belief in the power and importance of education, he has coaxed, cajoled, and inspired an extraordinary array of corporate, education and government leaders into joining him in this remarkable effort.
His crusade on behalf of science and technology began in 1984 when he created Science Enrichment Encounters, an interactive science learning center in Manchester, New Hampshire that is visited by 40,000 children each year. His idea was to help young people see science and technology as fun, exciting, accessible, and rewarding. This idea was the genesis for US FIRST, an organization that Mr. Kamen views as an opportunity to both teach children and to motivate them. He wants them to view engineers and scientists as role models and heroes.
Mr. Kamen is a brilliant inventor, an engineer, a physicist, and a walking encyclopedia of nearly all the physical and biological sciences. The president of DEKA Research and Development Corp. in New Hampshire, he holds more than 100 U.S. patents. While still an undergraduate, he invented the wearable infusion pump, a device that delivers precisely calibrated doses of intravenous medication while the patient goes about his daily business. Later, he developed the world's first portable insulin pump and a revolutionary new portable kidney dialysis machine, both of which have radically transformed the lives of thousands of patients around the world.
In a recent interview, Mr. Kamen expressed concerns that the world's most crucial problems - pollution, hunger, depletion of natural resources, destruction of the ozone layer and contamination of the seas - are not being properly addressed. World leaders rely on legislative and political remedies, he says, not technical solutions. Mr. Kamen believes that tomorrow's scientists and engineers will create those solutions, and he is dedicated to developing the young people who will be able to do just that.
Dean Kamen embodies the best attributes of the engineer devoted to human welfare. His vocation - inventing and developing innovative medical devices - and his avocation of inspiring young people to become excited about science and technology evoke his unbounded enthusiasm, energy, and faith in our future.
Note: This profile is excerpted from the commemorative brochure published at the time of the awards' presentation.
October 2007 - DEKA Research and Dean Kamen have produced a prototype prosthetic arm that
can lift up to 40 pounds and will enable an amputee with only minimal control
to perform tasks ranging from eating M&Ms one at a time to using a portable
power drill. It is still 15 to 18 months away from the commercial market, but
the progress that Mr. Kamen has been able to make was on display this month in Anaheim, Calif.,
at DARPAtech 2007. - The New York Times
October 2006 - Sundance Channel and Grey Goose Entertainment will air the second season of
their original television series, "Iconoclasts." Each hour-long program
features two leading innovators from different fields who come together to
discuss their passions and creative processes. Dean Kamen, inventor and entrepreneur
is paired with the actress, Isabella Rossellini. - PR
Newswire
January 2005 - Kamen receives an honorary membership from the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers "for innovating numerous medical devices, thereby
improving the quality of life for many." - IEEE website (www.ieeeboston.org)
November 2003 - Kamen shops his latest invention around the world to get a feel for its
potential popularity. The invention is a closed system water purifier, one that
is "powered by what fuel is at hand, that traps the energy released when the
boiled water vapor recondenses," and thus essentially recycles heat. The device
will only cost about $1,000 and will make 10 gallons of drinkable water every
hour, thus addressing the serious global issue of water contamination deaths. - Time magazine
October 2003 - Kamen's latest invention, the iBot wheelchair, is approved for use by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The chair, which climbs stairs, will require
an actual doctor's prescription and training before it can be used. - Appliance
Manufacturer
April 2003 - Kamen receives a Common Wealth Award for Distinguished Service from the PNC
Financial Services Group. The awards go to individuals "who have enriched and
advanced humanity through their exceptional lifetime achievements", and
specifically to Kamen for his "breakthrough medical and transportation
devices."
December 2002 - Kamen's latest invention, an electric scooter that he calls the Segway Human
Transporter, is now available to the public. So far it has been picked up
primarily by law enforcement officers and college security forces as it "is
faster than a running human being," and is helpful for "interacting with the
community and remaining visible" in addition to catching criminals. - The (Worcester,
Mass.) Telegram
& Gazette
November 2002 - Kamen is honored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers "for his
development of innovative technologies" and for creating and directing the For
Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology program, which hosts
learning oriented competitions and which encourages student achievement in the
fields of science and technology. His contributions are honored specifically by
the ASME with the Ralph Coats Roe Medal. - The (Manchester,
N.H.) Union
Leader
April 2002 - Kamen is honored with the Lemelson-MIT prize for inventors. He receives the
$500,000 prize for his "development of the self-balancing scooter and of an
infusion pump that has allowed diabetics to lead more normal lives." - The
Associated Press
April 2001 - Kamen wins the Presidential Medal from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the
school from which he holds an honorary degree. The award "recognizes
individuals who exemplify the idea of the 'technological humanist,'" and Kamen
receives it for his "extraordinary technical prowess" and myriad life changing
inventions. - M2 Presswire
December 2000 - Kamen wins the National Medal of Technology for years worth of life changing
inventions and for his tireless campaigns to involve America's youth in the realm of
science and technology. The award is the nation's highest technological honor. - New Hampshire
Sunday News
