Donald Bobbitt, president of the University of Arkansas System, has been named a fellow in the National Academy of Inventors.
Bobbitt became president of the UA System in 2011. Earlier in his career, he was awarded patents for discoveries made while a faculty member at UA-Fayetteville's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, according to a statement from UA-Fayetteville.
Bobbitt and UA chemistry faculty member Ingrid Fritsch were among 170 fellows named this year by the organization, which was founded in 2010.
Selections are based on nominations by peers, with fellows having demonstrated "a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society," according to the group's website.
"Over the years I have had the pleasure and great fortune to work with an exceptional group of students and colleagues and this recognition is a tribute to their innovativeness and creativity," Bobbitt said in a statement.
Fellows must have at least one patent and be affiliated with a university, institute or other academic entity.
NW News on 12/19/2014