Inventor Dean Kamen to address Class of 2014

The Class of 2014 will hear from inventor, entrepreneur, and science and technology advocate Dean Kamen at SUNYIT’s May 10 commencement ceremony. Kamen, known for inventing the Segway and founding the FIRST robotics organization, will deliver the keynote address at the ceremony, which will be held in the Wildcat Field House.

As an inventor, Kamen holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for innovative medical devices that have expanded the frontiers of health care worldwide. While still a college undergraduate, he invented the first wearable infusion pump, which rapidly gained acceptance from such diverse medical specialties as chemotherapy, neonatology, and endocrinology. Kamen is a recipient of the National Medal of Technology, in recognition of inventions that have advanced medical care worldwide, and for innovative and imaginative leadership in awakening America to the excitement of science and technology. He was also awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Among his proudest accomplishments is the founding of FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use and enjoy science and technology.

All candidates who became eligible for graduation from August 2013 through the end of the current academic year have been invited to take part in the commencement ceremony. The event begins with a formal procession in SUNYIT’s Wildcat Field House  at 10 a.m. on May 10 and will be followed by a reception for graduates and guests in the Student Center. Commencement weekend also includes the annual academic awards banquet, which will be held in the Wildcat Field House on Friday, May 9. More information is available at www.sunyit.edu/commencement.