![A photo taken at the University of Michigan shows a responsive envelope system prototype, a model for a structure that would be used in a building's exterior as part of a system to reduce its external power use and carbon footprint, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2011. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0426_innovation_michigan_m.jpg)
About the Author: Robert D. Hormats serves as the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the Department of State.
Today, we celebrate the contributions of scientists and innovators such as Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell. We recognize the writings of Jonathan Franzen, architectural designs of I. M. Pei, movies of Steven Spielberg, and many others like them whose works have changed the way we view our world and live our lives. Why today? Because April 26 marks World Intellectual Property Day, the annual celebration commemorating the formation of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1970.
This year’s theme — visionary innovators — recognizes the unique and valuable contributions made by gifted individuals all over the world. Without innovation, civilizations remain static. The economist Robert Solow was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1987 for showing that technological innovation was responsible for over 80 percent of economic growth in the United… more »
