The Lemelson-MIT Program
About
The Lemelson-MIT Program is an MIT-based initiative in Cambridge that describes itself as a national leader in invention education. Its focus is advancing education through invention, and over the years it has helped thousands of students and educators learn to invent. Its recent stories highlight students inventing with their communities, from high school clubs in Massachusetts to college events elsewhere in the country, with a recurring emphasis on invention, innovation and entrepreneurship.
One example is a series at Watertown High School funded by a Massachusetts Clean Energy Center grant and run by the school’s High Performance Building Innovators Club. At a May 2026 session, students heard from professionals in clean energy, housing, planning and technology about career paths through college, the trades and public service, then walked a full-scale accessory dwelling unit floor plan laid out in the gym to learn about energy-conserving design.
What to Know
- Invention Education Manager Edwin Marrero received MIT’s 2026 Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award for Staff.
- The program publishes a newsletter with stories from its school and community partners.
- Rio Hondo College’s Rio Innovates Symposium in April 2026 brought students together around invention, innovation and entrepreneurship.
- At the Watertown event, prizes went to student teams that best combined energy and cost efficiency.
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