Dr. Lonnie Johnson, engineer & Inventor Hall of Fame inductee, best known for inventing the super soaker, discusses his past work with NASA, the US Air Force, and his efforts to help underrepresented communities enter STEM fields.

Dr. Lonnie Johnson is the founder and President of Johnson Research and Development and the founder and President of the Johnson STEM Activity Center, a 501c(3) dedicated to educating disadvantaged and underserved children in STEM. A prolific inventor with over 150 patents, he is best known for his popular invention, the super soaker.

Dr. Johnson attended Tuskegee University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s degree in nuclear engineering and two honorary doctorates in science. He served in the U.S. Air Force where he analyzed space systems and worked on the Stealth Bomber Program, earning the Air Force Achievement Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal twice. At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), he helped develop some of the nation’s most advanced technologies in the Galileo mission to Jupiter, the Mars Observer and the Cassini Mission to Saturn, earning multiple awards for his contributions. Aside from this, Dr. Johnson has also been awarded numerous honors including The Trumpet Award, Engineering Hall of Fame Award, Mentor of the Year award, Business of the Year Award and most recently, he was honored with his induction into the Inventors Hall of Fame.

For more information on Dr. Johnson, please visit http://lonniejohnson.com/.

Moderated by Emily Ma.

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