2026 Innovation Awards

Celebrate with us as we honor UNM inventors who have received issued patents, registered copyrights or trademarks!

You are cordially invited to celebrate the innovative UNM faculty, staff, and students who have received issued patents or registered copyrights/trademarks from March 1, 2025 through February 28, 2026.

The 2026 Rainforest Innovation Fellow Award will be presented to:

A buffet dinner, along with beer and wine, will be provided. Casual business attire.

*For dietary restrictions, please contact Amber Ortega at aortega@innovations.unm.edu

Additional speakers include:

Featuring a special guest speaker from the USPTO Southwest Regional Office:

Hope Shimabuku | Regional Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Southwest Regional Outreach Office

As the Regional Director of the USPTO's Southwest Regional Outreach Office, Hope Shimabuku carries out the strategic direction of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, and is responsible for leading the Southwest office. Focusing on the region and actively engaging with the community, Ms. Shimabuku ensures the USPTO’s initiatives and programs are tailored to the region’s unique ecosystem of industries and stakeholders.

Ms. Shimabuku received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated cum laude with a J.D. from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. She is a native Texan, born and raised in Houston.