Four veterinary school professors on Tuesday were named fellows in the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), a status awarded to academic researchers who, according to the organization, “have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.” Some 414 professionals representing research universities, government agencies and nonprofit institutions and working in fields as diverse as computer engineering and transplantation science are fellows of the Tampa, Fla.-based NAI. The newly chosen veterinary members are: X.J. Meng, MS, Ph.D., MD, a university distinguished professor of molecular virology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Yasuko Rikihisa, MS, Ph.D., a university distinguished professor of veterinary biosciences in Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. George E. Seidel Jr., MS, Ph.D., a university distinguished professor in the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Janet K. Yamamoto, Ph.D., an immunology professor in the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. The new class of 170 fellows will be inducted March 20, 2015, during a ceremony at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. Dr. Meng studies emerging and re-emerging viral diseases that impact veterinary and human public health, according to Virginia-Maryland. Ohio State reported that Dr. Rikihisa, who was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2012, developed diagnostic platforms for tick-borne zoonotic diseases. Dr. Seidel’s research focus is reproductive physiology. One of Dr. Yamamoto’s research interests is the development of T-cell-based vaccines. NAI’s 414 fellows hold nearly 14,000 U.S. patents, the organization stated.
