"The Lemelson Center’s mission: • To document, interpret, and disseminate information about invention and innovation • To encourage inventive creativity in young people • To foster an appreciation for the central role of invention and innovation in the history of the United States Through public events, programs for students, publications, research opportunities, exhibitions, and this Web site, the Center: • Records the past, by preserving and increasing access to records and artifacts • Broadens our understanding of history, through research, discussion, and dissemination of ideas • Looks towards the future, by engaging young people in the study and exploration of invention and innovation"e