UA professor named NAI fellow
Staff report
AKRON
Frank Harris, whose polymer inventions helped generate billions of dollars in industry sales, has become the sixth University of Akron professor named as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
The organization recognizes the most-prolific academic inventors in the world, and Harris joins the group whose inventions the NAI believes have made a tangible impact on both quality of life and economic development.
“Very few professors and scientists are able to have one large commercial success with what they do,” Harris said. “To have two is rare — it’s been incredible.”
The first major achievement was a polymer coating applied to large screen LCD televisions. The coating allows for off-angle viewability, giving the screen its high-picture quality no matter where the viewer is standing in the room. His second invention is a coating that improves the off-angle viewability of smartphone and tablet displays. It is especially useful on touch-screen displays.
Harris also has received more than 50 patents, authored 225 peer-reviewed publications, acted as a consultant for more than 25 industrial firms and served as an expert witness in numerous patent litigations.
Other UA professors named NAI fellows are Darrell Reneker, Stephen Cheng, Joseph P. Kennedy, the late Alan Gent and George R. Newkome.
The newest class of NAI Fellows will be inducted March 20 as part of the 4th Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.