Houston, Texas, Feb. 2, 2022 – Holloway “Holly” Frost, “Friend of the University” at Houston Baptist University (HBU) has been named a 2021 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Frost is among 164 prolific academic innovators from across the world to be elected to this very elite group of academic inventors.
The 2021 Fellows class will be inducted this summer during the 11th Annual Meeting of Inventors in Phoenix, Ariz. Each inductee is highly-regarded in their respective fields and possesses a “breadth and scope of discovery” described as “truly staggering” according to Dr. Paul R. Sanberg, FNAI, President of the NAI in a recent press release announcing the new class.
“Holly Frost is one of the most adaptive, brilliant, and innovative persons I’ve ever met,” said HBU President Dr. Robert Sloan. “He’s also invariably focused on wide-ranging matters of cultural importance. Thus, his remarkable entrepreneurial intellect is coupled with a problem-solving mentality that motivates him to work on issues that have significant applications. He is well-deserving of this honor.”
Election to NAI Fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors who have 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 welfare of society. In honor of their outstanding accomplishments, the incoming class of Fellows will be presented with a special trophy, medal and rosette pin.
“I am thrilled and honored to have been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. My hope is that this recognition will serve as a special example to students struggling with their studies that success is not dictated by your class rank, but by your passion for learning, your desire to solve practical problems, and your steadfast willingness to go against conventional wisdom when overcoming the obstacles you will encounter in your life,” said Frost.
Frost, a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, invented a compact technology for computer memory storage, which he patented and built into a Houston-based company, Texas Memory Systems (TMS). He later sold TMS to IBM and has since invested in new technologies and in future inventors through philanthropy and support. Frost and his wife, Kathaleen Wall, provided generous gifts to fund the Grace Hopper Scholarship for students at HBU in recognition of Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper, PhD, a pioneer of computer science and military service. Over the past four years, a total of 271 awards were given, averaging about $5,000 per award and totaling over $2M.
About the National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate, and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI has a close partnership with the USPTO and is one of three honorific organizations, along with the National Medals and National Inventors Hall of Fame, working closely with the USPTO on many discovery and innovation support initiatives. The NAI publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation. For more information, visit www.academyofinventors.org.