For many around Indiana University, May means graduation, the start of summer break and the world’s greatest auto race, the Indianapolis 500. Yet it also marks a month of recognition for those whose creativity and perseverance improve the human condition, as May is National Inventors Month.

As IU approaches its bicentennial, among its strategic goals for the years that lie ahead is striving to establish a statewide culture of “building and making.” Throughout the month of May, IU will recognize some of its key innovators with a series of short stories that highlight some of their pursuits as well as the inspiration for such creativity.

Within this group you will meet researchers and scientists who strive to improve kidney function; to halt kidney disease and encephalitis in their tracks; to eradicate hepatitis B, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer and abnormal heart rhythms; and to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and the emotion deficits that often come with brain trauma.

They improve medical care for the minds of older adults. They advance the methods used in catheter incision and removal. They devise ways to improve learning through more efficient uses of technology. And they master the task of making mass amounts of data more manageable for everyday use — including mobile applications.

To learn about these exploits and the spirit behind National Inventors Month, please read here.