Images(3)

Medal, Prize

Object number2024.45.4

Date2023

MediumMetal

Credit LineGift of Rory Cooper

DescriptionCircular, flat disk-shaped metal award medal. Bronze-colored metal medal. Front has raised text around the perimeter and inset raised border framing central shallow relief of a man's partial head and shoulders with outstretched arm and open hand holding a V-shape. Reverse has raised text around the perimeter and a raised square at center framing raised organizational name.DimensionsDiameter x Depth: 1.75 x 0.125 in. (4.4 x 0.3 cm)
InscriptionsFront has raised text around the perimeter "NATIONAL MEDAL OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION".

Reverse has raised text around the perimeter "INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF VIBRANT AND DIVERSE STEM PROFESSIONALS" and at center "NATIONAL / SCIENCE & / TECHNOLOGY / MEDALS / FOUNDATION".
Historical Notes National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded to Rory A. Cooper in 2023.Label TextDr. Rory Cooper, a bronze medalist in the 1988 Seoul Paralympic Games 4x400 wheelchair relay and captain of a U.S. National team, has competed in every Pittsburgh Marathon since the inception of the race. He also implemented the handcycle assistance team--H-CAT--for the race, which supports racers’ medical and non-medical needs. A multisport athlete, Cooper has amassed more than 200 medals at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. While serving in the U.S. Army in Germany in 1980, a bicycle accident left Cooper paralyzed from the waist down. After returning home to recuperate, he enrolled at California Polytechnic State University. Frustrated by the weight and lack of mobility of his 80-pound wheelchair, Cooper modified it in his family’s automotive workshop. As he pursued an undergraduate, then master’s degree, in electrical engineering, Cooper’s interest in adaptive technology grew. With a PhD in electrical and computer engineering, innovating in that field became his life’s work. Dr. Cooper founded the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) at the University of Pittsburgh in 1994. He has directed the efforts to research, prototype, design, and share adaptive technologies that improve the health, mobility, and social inclusion of people with disabilities and older adults. Dr. Cooper, who holds more than two dozen patents, has received numerous awards recognizing his innovative work including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded by President Biden in 2023, and has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame®.

Related institution Human Engineering Research Laboratories

Related institution University of Pittsburgh

Previous owner Dr. Rory A. Cooper (born 1959)

Related institution United States Patent and Trademark Office

Subjects