{"id":46739,"date":"2026-02-03T11:46:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T16:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=46739"},"modified":"2026-02-06T11:30:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:30:17","slug":"inventors-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/inventors-hall-of-fame\/","title":{"rendered":"Railroad Pioneer Is the Latest Alum in the Inventors Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Meet Olive Wetzel Dennis 1920\u2014and a dozen other Cornellians whose drive and innovation have changed the world<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may not have heard of the National Inventors Hall of Fame<\/a>\u2014but now that you have, you\u2019ll be unsurprised to hear that Cornellians are well represented among its inductees. After all, founder Ezra Cornell was himself an inventor: devising a plow that could dig (and then refill) a trench to lay telegraph wire was his entr\u00e9e into the industry that would make his fortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1973, the hall has the dual purpose of celebrating inventors\u2019 achievements\u2014from famous names like Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell to those who are lesser known\u2014while inspiring the next generation of creative minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The organization is headquartered in Ohio but runs a museum in Alexandria, VA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the hall\u2019s more than 600 inductees, 26 have Big Red ties\u2014as alumni, faculty, postdocs, visiting researchers, and others.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest to be inducted: Olive Wetzel Dennis 1920<\/a>, a member of the hall’s Class of 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first women to earn a civil engineering degree at Cornell, Dennis already held a BA from Goucher College and a master’s in math and astronomy from Columbia when she matriculated on the Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Olive
wikimedia commons<\/figcaption>
Dennis in her Goucher College senior portrait.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After gradution, she spent decades working for the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad\u2014spearheading numerous innovations that improved the travel experience for women, as well as for passengers in general. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her research included riding more than 44,000 miles of railway in the first year alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dennis spent decades working for the B&O Railroad\u2014spearheading numerous innovations that improved the travel experience for women, as well as for passengers in general<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Her travels prompted her to help create more comfortable seats, invent a passenger-operated window ventilation system, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dennis also served as principal designer of one of B&O’s luxury trains, the “Cincinnatian”; she was responsible for everything from its technical access points to its upholstery, carpeting, and menu printing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Olive
Courtesy of the B&O Railroad Museum<\/figcaption>
Dennis in 1947, making suggestions on how to improve a new buffet car.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She collaborated with fellow alum Willis Carrier, ME 1901 (see below), to pioneer the first air-conditioned dining car\u2014and soon afterward, the first fully air-conditioned train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“No matter how successful a business may seem to be,” Dennis once said, “it can gain even greater success if it gives consideration to the woman\u2019s viewpoint.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a look at 12 other alums in the Hall of Fame\u2014and their groundbreaking creations:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Eric Betzig, PhD \u201988<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

High-resolution microscopy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A doctoral alum in applied physics, Betzig co-invented a super-high-resolution imaging technology<\/a> called photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM). It broke the limits that standard microscopes had faced for almost a century, allowing biologists to look inside cells at a previously unachievable level of detail. A professor<\/a> of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, Betzig shared a 2014 Nobel Prize in chemistry with two other researchers.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Eric<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"Willis
Rare and Manuscript Collections<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

Willis Carrier, ME 1901<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Air conditioning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrier transformed the way we stay cool by developing the formulas and equipment that make air conditioning<\/a> possible. Just a year after graduating with a master\u2019s in electrical engineering, he installed an air conditioning system in a Brooklyn printing plant, using his method of correlating temperature and humidity to create a comfortable atmosphere\u2014still the basis for calculations in the modern HVAC industry. He and other engineers founded what\u2019s now the multi-billion-dollar Carrier Engineering Corporation in 1915. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

Harry Coover, PhD \u201944<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Superglue <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working as a research chemist for Eastman Kodak during World War II, Coover tried to use cyanoacrylates\u2014a class of chemicals with powerful adhesive properties\u2014to produce a clear plastic for precision gunsights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the chemicals were too sticky for that purpose, he recognized their potential as an ultra-strong adhesive<\/a>. Today, Superglue is used to close wounds, enhance fingerprints, bond teeth, and much more.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Harry<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"Wilson
Rare and Manuscript Collections<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

Wilson Greatbatch \u201950<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Implantable pacemaker<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greatbatch matriculated on the Hill after military service in World War II (recalling in his memoir that \u201cafter all that time in the dive bombers, it was such a joy to wander around the campus, to go to class and to learn something\u201d). The electrical engineering alum went on to save untold lives through his invention of the implantable cardiac pacemaker<\/a>, which regulates the heartbeat via an electrode. First used in 1960, pacemakers are now implanted into more than 500,000 patients annually.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

Leroy Grumman 1916 <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Advances in aviation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grumman\u2019s 1932 invention of folding airplane wings<\/a> allowed the military to more than double the number of aircraft that could fit on a carrier. The mechanical engineering alum and former U.S. Navy pilot also designed retractable landing gear that was safer and more reliable than previous equipment. He founded Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp., which grew to be one of the nation\u2019s largest defense contractors, and served as a University trustee. <\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Leroy
Rare and Manuscript Collections<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

His gifts to his alma mater included support for Grumman Hall on the Engineering Quad, as well as the Grumman Squash Courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Robert
Wikimedia Commons <\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

Robert Langer Jr. \u201970 <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Controlled drug delivery<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The winner of numerous major awards during a long and distinguished career, Langer holds more than 1,400 patents. His development of a controlled drug delivery system<\/a> has facilitated treatment of diseases such as brain tumors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Langer has co-founded more than 40 companies, including the major pharmaceutical firm Moderna, and heads a leading biomedical engineering lab at MIT. In 2023, his alma mater honored him with Cornell Engineering\u2019s Distinguished Alumni Award.<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Then-Provost (now President) Mike Kotlikoff lauded Langer as \u201cone of the most creative, brilliant, and influential alumni in Cornell\u2019s history.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

Pamela Marrone \u201978<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Safer pesticides<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A scientist and entrepreneur who holds a doctorate from North Carolina State, the former CALS entomology major has devoted her career to fostering the creation of biologically based pesticides<\/a>\u2014ones that protect agricultural crops while being less toxic to the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based in California, she has founded several companies and brought numerous products to market, including two leading bio-based fungicides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Pamela<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Marrone has served her alma mater as an alumni-elected trustee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Thomas<\/figure>
\n

Thomas Midgley Jr., ME 1911<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Improved engine fuel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Midgley\u2019s scientific legacy is complicated. In the 1910s, he created tetraethyl lead gasoline<\/a>, which allowed high-performance engines to operate more efficiently\u2014preventing the damaging \u201cknock\u201d that occurs when fuel burns in the cylinders unevenly. The following decade, he developed Freon, a game-changing refrigerant. And while both achievements were notable advances in their time, they each proved to have devastating environmental impacts<\/a>\u2014in the form of harmful lead pollution and damage to the Earth\u2019s ozone layer. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

Robert Moog,<\/strong> PhD \u201965<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Musical synthesizer <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six decades ago, Moog\u2014then a doctoral student in engineering physics\u2014electrified the music world by inventing a synthesizer capable of producing a wide range of electronic sounds. It unlocked endless possibilities, making way for a revolution in the music industry\u2014and new directions for such artists as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Grateful Dead. His Moog Synthesizer<\/a> became the centerpiece of electronic music labs at universities around the world\u2014while instrumentalists flocked to a smaller, portable version known as the Minimoog.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Robert
Rare and Manuscript Collections<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"Gregory
Wikimedia Commons <\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

Gregory Pincus 1924<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Birth-control pill<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former biology major changed women\u2019s lives\u2014and helped usher in the sexual revolution\u2014by spearheading development of the first effective oral contraceptive<\/a>, which works by suppressing ovulation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FDA approved the debut version, dubbed Enovid, in 1960. While controversial at the time, \u201cthe pill\u201d remains one of the most popular family planning methods, boasting a 98% effectiveness rate when taken as prescribed. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

Alice Stoll, MS \u201948<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fire-resistant fabrics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stoll helped protect the military, fire fighters, race car drivers, and many others by informing the development of fabrics<\/a> that are inherently fire resistant\u2014which, she proved, are far more effective than ones that are merely treated with flame retardant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She established a method to chart the heat levels and duration required to produce second-degree burn injuries and tested more than 200 materials using a device she created to measure their heat resistance. <\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Alice
Society of Women Engineers Photograph Collection, Walter P. Reuther Library<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

She ultimately showed that a particular synthetic polymer has superior resistance because it thickens and carbonizes to absorb heat\u2014rather than transmitting it to the wearer\u2014making it the industry standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A U.S. Navy veteran, Stoll earned a master\u2019s in physiology and biophysics from what\u2019s now Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Ching
National Inventors Hall of Fame<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

Ching Wan Tang, PhD \u201975<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A better LED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tang co-created the organic light-emitting diode<\/a> (OLED), which is used in the digital displays found in tech like computers, cell phones, cameras, and TVs. An improvement on traditional LEDs, OLEDs\u2014which appear in products made by major companies like Apple, Google, Sony, Motorola, and Samsung\u2014offer better power efficiency, longer battery life, and increased display quality. Tang, who earned a doctorate in physical chemistry on the Hill, is a professor emeritus<\/a> at the University of Rochester. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Top: Photo illustration by Caitlin Cook \/ Cornell University. (All inventor head shots provided, unless otherwise indicated<\/em>.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published January 29, 2025; updated February 3, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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