Author: Maxim Sorokopud | Reading Level: Grade 10 | First covered: April 2023
Key Takeaways:
- Universities are often at the forefront of innovative research, exploring new ideas and technologies that can lead to groundbreaking discoveries.
- University research often addresses issues of public importance, such as health, environment, and social justice. The findings from university research can inform public policy, improve healthcare, and contribute to solving global challenges.
- Undergraduate and graduate students often participate in research projects, providing hands-on experience that is critical to their development as scientists.
- Universities often collaborate with other institutions and industries globally, pooling resources and expertise to tackle complex scientific questions.
- Universities often have access to substantial research funding from governments, private foundations, and industry partners. This funding supports a wide range of research projects, from small-scale studies to large, multidisciplinary efforts.
Many significant scientific breakthroughs in recent history came about due to the work of colleges and universities. By gaining research funding, providing a collaborative environment, and investing in cutting-edge technology, colleges have been responsible for producing innovations and inventions that have revolutionized the world.
Featured Programs
This ranking will highlight 30 American colleges that have excelled at this and are continuing to do so.
Science is a broad discipline with many avenues of study. This ranking has attempted to incorporate various scientific fields in assessing individual colleges. This process ensures that the entries ahead offer many opportunities for prospective students looking to specialize in varied or niche subjects.
In addition to assessing a college’s history of important scientific discoveries, this ranking has also considered its current efforts to improve its scientific output. This ensures that every college in the ranking is almost certain to remain an institution that produces world-changing discoveries in the years ahead.
Any one of the colleges in this ranking is a strong choice for a prospective student who wants to study within an institution that can demonstrate that it has revolutionized how the world functions through scientific achievement.
However, it’s also possible that none of the colleges ahead may be suitable for you. If that’s the case, then this ranking can still be a vital resource in your college search. Each entry features a summary of the scientific achievements that it has produced and the efforts it is taking to ensure future achievements. These have been included for you to compare with your own college options.
If any college you’re considering can claim historical scientific achievements and new investments like the 30 ahead, that’s a strong indication that it’s worth applying to.
Methodology
Initial sourcing for the colleges featured in this ranking came through analyzing a number of articles that highlight scientific achievements at colleges.
After identifying colleges on these lists, we then conducted further research into each college to identify further scientific discoveries and investment into improving its future scientific output.
The source articles are as follows:
- Quartz These 25 Schools are responsible for the greatest advances in science
- Interesting Engineering, Which Universities can Claim the Most Famous Scientists
- The Washington Post, Think universities are making lots of money from inventions? Think again.
- College Cliffs, 20 Colleges for Inventors: Schools That Hold Important or Interesting Patents
- Nature, These 10 institutions published the most papers in Nature and Science in 2018
- Translation, 5 Modern-Day Inventions You Didn’t Know Were from Universities
- Gizmodo, Degrees of the Future 2022
The final ranking has sorted the colleges by the following criteria:
- evidence of being responsible for a wide range of scientific discoveries
- evidence of continuing to invest in scientific discoveries
- innovative approaches to discovery
- aggregated ranking on the methodology lists
The final ranking, from 30 to one, is as follows:
30. University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
In recent decades, the University of South Florida’s scientific research efforts have improved considerably, resulting in the Florida Board of Governors designing the institution as a Preeminent State Research University in 2018. Since this time, the college has been responsible for significant scientific advancements. For instance, in 2021 alone, the college created:
- an AI-enabled system of cameras and sensors that alert caregivers to infant pain
- a system of portable wastewater treatment systems
- a new substance that fights drug-resistant bacteria
In 2023, the college continues to advance its scientific work, with the American Association for the Advancement of Science naming six of its researchers as fellows. College Cliffs named the University of South Florida as one of the top 20 colleges for inventors. Gizmodo considers the college to be preparing students for the future.
29. University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Discoveries that came from the University of Georgia have led to new prescriptions for dry eye in humans, poultry vaccines, and many improved plant cultivars for foods such as peanuts, blueberries, and soybeans.
Additionally, associate professor Douda Benasson has made life-saving discoveries regarding a lethal form of yeast, such as the fact that it survives in humans and on trees. She continues to research yeast. In 2023, a research team within the college was also given a Georgia CTSA President’s Award to aid their efforts in creating artificial intelligence-based technology to prevent adverse drug effects within healthcare settings.
Translation notes that the University of Georgia was part of a college collaboration in the 1940s that resulted in the development of new grains that significantly reduced global famine. Gizmodo states that the college is preparing students for the future.
28. The University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Some of The University of Utah’s proudest scientific achievements include inventing and implanting the first artificial heart and perfecting precision genome engineering tools.
In late 2022, the college announced two new strategic research initiatives that aimed to improve healthcare efficiency and effectiveness. These are the Digital Health Initiative and the Data Science Initiative. One example of the Digital Health Initiative is creating a decision-aid tool that helps with lung cancer treatment.
An example of the Data Science Initiative’s work is research into the genetic causes of rare childhood diseases. College Cliffs considers The University of Utah to be one of the 20 best colleges for inventors. Gizmodo states that the college is preparing students for the future.
27. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Some of the most critical historical scientific discoveries to come from the University of Virginia include:
- proving that a certain bacteria was a major cause of ulcers and other gastric diseases
- developing a test that rapidly identifies fertility issues
- developing a water purification tablet that is now used in 40 countries
And in 2023, the college announced a number of discoveries, such as identifying a way of preventing the inflammation responsible for multiple sclerosis and developing a tool that aids scientists as they explore the genetic causes of cancer.
College Cliffs considers the University of Virginia to be one of the 20 best colleges for inventors. Gizmodo considers the college to be preparing students for the future.
26. Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
In the early 20th Century, Texas A&M University was responsible for creating immunizations that eradicated Texas Tick Fever. This enabled the Texan livestock industry to thrive. And in the early 21st Century, the college successfully cloned the first domestic animal, a cat, and has since become an international leader in cloning.
In 2020, the college announced that it had discovered life at a depth of 2,600 feet below the Indian Ocean seafloor, which has the potential to advance human understanding of evolution. And in late 2022, the college successfully gained $1.8 million in funding to create a new research center that would focus on nanocrystal discovery and research.
Translation notes that Texas A&M University collaborated with several other colleges in the 1940s to develop a resilient new grain that significantly reduced worldwide famine. Gizmodo considers the college to be preparing students for the future.
25. Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
Dartmouth College’s breakthroughs in researching coronavirus spike proteins were instrumental in developing effective vaccines, saving millions of lives. However, the college’s discoveries stretch to other fields of science. For example, in 2016, a group of college students was responsible for discovering an incredibly rare human ancestor fossil.
A number of developments at the college have also ensured that it will be able to conduct significant scientific research in the future, such as expansions of college space aimed to foster entrepreneurial scientific development and the installation of a new electron microscope. Interesting Engineering considers Dartmouth College to have been responsible for producing many acclaimed scientists.
Gizmodo considers the college to be preparing students for the future. Quartz considers the college to be one of the 25 best for scientific advances.
24. Georgetown University
Washington, DC
In early 2023, Georgetown University discovered that climate change is responsible for the increased spread of malaria. Other scientific discoveries will surely come from the college in the future, as it has successfully gained funding.
One example is an $8.2 million award to study the behavioral and biological dimensions of aging. The college’s history of scientific discovery is also impressive. For instance, the college is responsible for:
- developing the artificial heart valve
- the single-letter code for amino acids
- the full-body scanner
- the automatic genetic analyzer
- the anti-histamine Allegra
- the T-Wave Alternans Test
- the first diagnostic test and vaccine for HPV
The Washington Post highlights Georgetown University for inventing Allegra. Gizmodo considers the college to be preparing students for the future.
23. Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
In the early 20th Century, Princeton University was a key institution in developing nuclear physics. This research would then lead to construction of the world’s first atomic device, with over two dozen college community members working on the project. In 2021 alone, the college’s community members won five Nobel Prizes.
Today, the college continues to develop world-changing scientific innovations. It is also working on expanding the learning of science in the community, such as producing videos documenting chemistry discoveries for high school students. Interesting Engineering considers Princeton University to be one of the world’s top institutions for producing acclaimed scientists.
Gizmodo considers the college to be preparing its students for the future. Quartz considers the college to be one of the 25 best colleges for major scientific advances.
22. University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
In 1933, the University of Michigan Professor David Dennison conducted an experiment that created microwave spectroscopy. The medical achievements of the college are similarly historic, with faculty member Cameron Haight performing the first successful direct repair of esophageal atresia in 1941.
More recently, the college has discovered that a diet of unsaturated fats can prevent and improve neuropathy, repurposed drugs to successfully treat ALS patients, and proved that obesity could lead to cognitive decline. In 2023, the college also announced that it had discovered a way of 3D printing concrete to create environmentally friendly structures at a lower cost.
College Cliffs considers the University of Michigan one of the 20 best colleges for inventors. Gizmodo states that the college is preparing students for the future. Quartz considers the college as being responsible for some of the greatest advancements in science.
21. University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
In the 1960s, thanks to the University of Washington Nephrologist Belding Scribner, the creation of the shunt implant led to kidney disease changing from being 90% fatal to 90% survivable. During the same decade, the college’s medical personnel collaborated in applying sonar to the human body, resulting in the first machines that performed medical ultrasounds.
In the present day, the college continues to announce scientific breakthroughs. For example, in 2023, the college announced that a team it had led had identified a new type of solid crystal, which may potentially solve a mystery of an unknown chemical signature discovered on one of Jupiter’s moons. In late 2022, the college joined the Alliance for Therapies in Neuroscience, which works to improve the treatment of brain diseases and disorders.
College Cliffs considers the University of Washington to be one of the 20 best colleges for inventors. Gizmodo names it a college that is preparing students for the future. Quartz considers it to be one of the colleges responsible for significant scientific advancements.
20. University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Thanks to the work of the University of Pittsburgh, the world gained:
- the first polio vaccine
- CPR
- the first DNA bank of shared data
- the first synthesized insulin and much more
The college also built upon previous achievements, with researchers sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic, identifying the chemical structure of vitamin C, and developing the light-sensitive TV camera tube that allowed the first moon landing to be broadcast worldwide. In the present day, the college continues to make important discoveries.
For example, in late 2022, the college discovered a previously unknown aspect of how tumors promote their own growth and prevent their demise. In 2023, the college unveiled its new state-of-the-art life sciences building.
College Cliffs considers the University of Pittsburgh to be one of the 20 best colleges for inventors. Gizmodo names it a college that is preparing students for the future.
19. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
In 1955, Carnegie Mellon University Professor Herbert Simon and student Allen Newell created a programming language that allowed computers to model human problem-solving processes, founding artificial intelligence. In later years, the college created Kevlar fiber, laid the foundation for Wi-Fi, and established the USA’s first robotics institute.
In 2023, the college, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, won phase 1 of a US Air Force challenge for AI optimization in chemistry/materials, which could result in $500,000 in funding. The college aims to complete its $75 million “next-generation home for the future of science,” the Richard King Mellon Hall of Sciences, in 2026.
Quartz names Carnegie Mellon University as responsible for some of the greatest scientific advances. Gizmodo considers the college to be preparing students for the future.
18. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
In 1850, Case Western Reserve University professor John Lang Cassels discovered iron ore in Michigan, which led to the state’s steel industry’s foundation. In the following years, the college:
- discovered the atomic weights of oxygen and hydrogen
- performed the first modern blood transfusion
- developed the process of chlorinating drinking water
- created the first simulated milk formula and much more
More recently, the college has developed prosthetic limbs that transmit the sense of touch to the brain, discovered the first amphibian that can change the texture, and may have discovered that two common medicines can reverse multiple sclerosis damage.
In 2023, the college gained $3 million to advance MRI scan and software technology. College Cliffs considers Case Western Reserve University to be one of the top 20 colleges for inventors. Gizmodo names it a college that is preparing students for the future.
Quartz names it one of the top 25 colleges responsible for the most significant scientific advances.
17. The University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
In 1907, The University of Chicago Physicist Albert A. Michelson became the first American scientist to win the Nobel Prize for running optimal experiments that successfully measured the speed of light for the first time. In the years following this achievement, the college discovered:
- the organism that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- the atomic structure of electricity
- a means of preserving blood
In 2021, the college achieved “one of the most important goals in quantum physics” by discovering how to simultaneously bring multiple molecules into a single quantum state.
In 2023, the college announced that it was partnering with other colleges in the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative over the course of 10 to 15 years to solve significant scientific challenges. Quartz considers The University of Chicago to be one of the top 25 colleges responsible for the most significant advancements in science.
Gizmodo names it a college that is preparing students for the future.
16. Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
In just the field of medical science, Yale University’s historical breakthroughs include:
- developing the insulin pump
- creating HIV infection drugs
- pioneering the first cancer treatment that arms human cells
More recently, in 2022, the college discovered that a range of blood cell behavior is partially due to inherited traits, which could revolutionize treatments for blood cancer.
In 2023, the college was admitted to the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps, which provides more than $260,000 for the college’s researchers, with much of this funding being assigned to people from underrepresented communities.
Nature notes that Yale University had the seventh-largest number of papers published in Nature and Science in 2018. Gizmodo states that the college is preparing students for the future. Quartz considers the college to be the seventh best for scientific advancements.
15. University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
In early 2023, the University of Florida announced that it would be leading a $25 million project to develop new approaches to nuclear forensics. However, other scientific projects across the college are also gaining significant funding, such as a recent $100,000 award for Professor Sarah Ballard to study planets within the Milky Way.
The college has also consistently documented important discoveries. For instance, its recent research with MINERVA discovered “a groundbreaking new way to view protons.” The college also receives the National Institute of Health Clinical and Translational Science Award, making it part of an elite group of medical institutions working to accelerate scientific discoveries into practical medical advances.
The college’s Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology produces significant medical research. In fact, scientists within the institute have founded companies that create treatments for cancer, HIV, Parkinson’s, ALS, muscular dystrophy, and more.
The Washington Post and College Cliffs note that the University of Florida discoveries have led to the creation of the drink Gatoraide, the glaucoma drug Trusopt, the termite control product Sentricon, and peanut plants that live significantly longer.
Gizmodo considers the University of Florida to be one of the colleges that are preparing students for the future.
14. Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Historic discoveries to come from Duke University include:
- inventing the first real-time 3-D ultrasonic scanner
- optimizing biphasic waveforms for heart defibrillation
- creating a bioreactor system that could grow blood vessels
In the present day, the college ensures that its research continues to result in scientific advancements. For instance, it runs an annual Research and Innovation Week event to explore advancements. The college has also recently created new opportunities. In 2019, it invested $100 million to improve its scientific efforts in the fields of:
- genomics
- data science
- artificial intelligence
In 2021, it invested an additional $50 million in these efforts. Interesting Engineering considers Duke University to have produced many acclaimed scientists. Gizmodo names it a college that is preparing students for the future.
13. University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
In 2021, the University of Illinois and IBM announced that they planned to launch a new discovery accelerator, thanks to a $200 million investment by the State of Illinois. However, the college already had a number of innovative centers focused on scientific discovery.
For example, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology has been a part of the college since 1989. Overall, the college has been discovering life-changing solutions for over 100 years. These include:
- devising how to record sound electronically onto film
- creating the world’s first shared computer-based education system
- developing remedial education techniques
- inventing a laser that is used in all modern-day LEDs
- identifying the third main branch of the tree of life
- developing pioneering medical MRI technology
The Washington Post also highlights that the University of Illinois is responsible for creating web browsers. Quartz notes that per capita, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign has explicitly produced the 23rd highest number of prestigious science award winners of any US college.
12. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Between 2010 and 2019, the California Institute of Technology made many impressive scientific discoveries. These include:
- identifying how the brain recognizes faces
- using electrodes to make paralyzed people move voluntarily
- inventing a microchip that can see through materials
- developing bacteria that can forge organic silicon molecules
And in 2023, the college’s work with NASA resulted in the discovery of volcanic activity on Venus. College Cliffs considers the California Institute of Technology one of the 20 best colleges for inventors. Gizmodo names it a college that is preparing students for the future. Quartz names it the top college for scientific advancement.
11. The University of Wisconsin, Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Thanks to the invention of round farming silos in 1881, The University of Wisconsin, Madison, has significantly reduced crop waste. Since then, the college has also been responsible for the following:
- discovering vitamin A
- pioneering a method of enhancing vitamin D in food
- inventing blood thinners
- performing the first successful bone marrow transplants
- growing the first human embryonic stem cells in a lab
More recently, the college has been responsible for improving the understanding of spinal cord development. In 2023, the college announced a number of new scientific research measures, such as gaining $1 million to support the student-led search for new antibiotics and receiving $2 million to protect bats from fungal epidemics.
College Cliffs considers The University of Wisconsin, Madison, to be one of the 20 best colleges for inventors. Gizmodo names it a college that is preparing students for the future. Quartz considers it to be a college that is responsible for some of the greatest scientific advancements.
10. Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
In 1885, Cornell University graduate Theobald Smith identified the salmonella bacterium. College community members continued to make significant breakthroughs in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as creating inexpensive means of measuring the fat content in milk and discovering the Rh factor in the blood.
The college is still making important advances in its own discoveries. For instance, in 2020, the college developed a method of identifying salmonella that was much faster than any previously existing process. In 2023, the college announced that nine of its professors had succeeded in winning National Science Foundation Early Career Development Awards, with the recipients gaining between $400,000 to $600,000 to use for scientific research purposes.
Translation notes that Cornell University was one of a number of colleges that collaborated to successfully develop resilient new grains that reduced global famine in the 1940s. College Cliffs considers it to be one of the 20 best colleges for inventors.
Gizmodo names it a college that is preparing students for the future. Quartz considers it to be one of the top 25 colleges for scientific advancement.
9. University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Some of the most important scientific breakthroughs to have emerged from the University of Minnesota include:
- developing synthetic rubber
- isolating slow-fission uranium
- pioneering cross-circulation open-heart surgery
- inventing the world’s first portable pacemaker
In the present day, the college is still conducting important scientific research. For example, recent work has resulted in students sequencing the genome of a soybean pest. The college also recently received $3.4 million from the National Institutes of Health to improve human understanding of Lyme disease transmission and similar tick-borne pathogens.
Translation notes that the University of Minnesota was one of several colleges that collaborated in the 1940s to develop new varieties of grain that could double farming production, resulting in less global famine. College Cliffs considers the college to be one of the 20 best for inventors.
Gizmodo considers it to be a college preparing students for the future. Quartz considers it to be one of the top colleges for scientific advancement.
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
In 1895, the University of California, Berkeley employed the first professor of nutrition in the USA, which resulted in “important contributions to the emerging understanding of the positive dietary role of vitamins, minerals, and protein, and the negative role of cholesterol and fats.” In the 20th Century, the college made a range of important scientific advancements, such as:
- the development of devices that cleaned smokestack emissions
- the discovery of vitamin E
- the formulation of a mixture of helium and oxygen that enabled divers to explore deeper into the ocean than ever before
- the invention of the first cyclotron
In the 21st Century, the college has continued to make life-changing discoveries, including creating the first synthetic antimalarial drug and pioneering a simple method of cutting DNA. In 2023, the college’s Berkeley Lab announced that it had identified a rapid new method of screening virus proteins for antibiotic proteins that could accelerate the development of new medicines.
Nature states that in 2018, the University of California, Berkeley published the fifth largest proportion of articles of any college in Nature and Science. College Cliffs considers the University of California system to be one of the 20 best colleges for inventors.
Gizmodo states that the college is preparing students for the future. Quartz names the college as one of the top institutions for advancing science.
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
In 2022, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology celebrated many scientific achievements, including:
- designing a heat engine with no moving parts
- creating a lightweight material with greater strength than steel
- detecting radio signals from a far-off galaxy
Throughout the course of its existence, the college has made a number of scientific breakthroughs, including:
- inventing wind tunnels
- perfecting radar technology
- pioneering nuclear fission
- identifying the link between cancer and genetics
The college’s scientific achievements continue into the present day. For example, in early 2023, the college announced that it had devised an efficient way of removing carbon dioxide from the ocean. The Washington Post notes that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s licensing fees from scientific discoveries have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for over a decade.
Interesting Engineering notes that the college is among the top producers of acclaimed scientists. Translation notes that the college was instrumental in developing the e-ink in e-readers. Nature notes that the college published the third-highest number of papers in Nature and Science in 2018. College Cliffs names it one of the top colleges for inventors.
Gizmodo considers it to be a college training students for the future. Quartz states that it is one of the top 25 colleges for scientific advancements.
6. University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Some of the most important breakthroughs to come from the University of California, Los Angeles, in the field of medical science alone include:
- developing tissue tests that transformed organ transplantation
- identifying AIDS
- identifying a genetic target that led to the development of leukemia drugs
- inventing coils that prevent bleeding deaths from brain aneurysms
More recently, the college has developed rapid coronavirus testing technology, designed a device that translates sign language into English, and used low-intensity sonic stimulation to reactive brain activity in minimally conscious patients.
In mid-2022, the college also received a $59 million Clinical and Translational Science Award to advance translational sciences. Nature notes that the University of California, Los Angeles had the sixth-highest proportion of papers published in Nature and Science in 2018. College Cliffs considers the University of California system to be one of the top 20 colleges for inventors.
Gizmodo states that the college is preparing students for the future. Quartz names the college as one of the best for advancing science.
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland
In the 21st century, Johns Hopkins University’s scientific achievements include:
- contributing to studies linking the Zika virus to microcephaly
- leading the New Horizons spacecraft past Pluto
- landing the first spacecraft on an asteroid
In the 20th century, its achievements included:
- isolating and cultivating human embryonic stem cells
- identifying how to drastically drop infant death rates via vitamin A supplements
- inventing the first implantable pacemaker
In 2014, the college started Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures to ensure that its scientific discoveries could reach the wider world. By 2019 this division had resulted in $2.3 billion in venture funding and $183 million in licensing revenue.
The college continues to make important scientific discoveries. For example, the college recently identified a new approach to creating antibody libraries that could accelerate the creation of therapeutic antibody candidates and vaccines. The college is also receiving funding for new research, with 126 of its early-career researchers receiving $75,000 2023 Sloan Research Fellowships.
The Washington Post highlights how Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures has boosted the college’s commercial scientific work. College Cliffs names Johns Hopkins University one of the 20 best colleges for inventors.
Gizmodo considers the college to be one of the top colleges for preparing students for the future. Quartz names the college one of the best for scientific advancements.
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The decades-long mRNA research at the University of Pennsylvania laid the foundation for both the Pfizer/BionNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines. The college is also currently making a range of scientific discoveries that could have similarly important results in the future.
Recent examples include discovering bacteria that trigger the body’s immune system and engineering seed carriers to mimic the behavior of self-burying seeds. The college’s older scientific breakthroughs include:
- creating the first pneumonia vaccine
- developing MRI technologies
- introducing total intravenous feeding
In 2021, the college announced that it was investing $750 million in science, engineering, and medicine. Translation notes that the University of Pennsylvania also created the Hepatitis B vaccine. College Cliffs names it one of the 20 best colleges for inventors.
Gizmodo considers it to be one of the colleges preparing students for the future. Quartz considers it responsible for some of the most significant scientific advances.
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
In the 19th Century, Harvard University’s medical science breakthroughs alone included identifying the cause and prevention of puerperal fever and identifying appendicitis. In the 20th century, the college was responsible for:
performing the first successful heart valve surgery
the invention of the iron lung
oversaw the first successful pediatric remission of acute leukemia
In recent years, the medical school has continued to discover significant innovations. These include:
- creating artificial forelimbs
- developing cancer treatments that don’t impair the immune system
- researching gene therapies to restore hearing
In early 2023, the medical school also received a $75 million gift to advance scientific discovery and therapeutic science. The college has a similar track record of success in other scientific fields. It has also demonstrated commitments to expanding its activities, such as opening the 544,000-square-foot Science and Engineering Complex in 2020.
Interesting Engineering states that Harvard University has produced many acclaimed scientists. Nature notes that the college published the most papers in Nature and Science in 2018. College Cliffs considers it one of the top colleges for inventors.
Gizmodo states that the college is preparing students for the future. Quartz states that the college is one of the 25 best for scientific advancements.
2. Columbia University
New York City, New York
In the early 20th Century, Columbia University undertook studies that “revealed fundamental principles of genetics, paving the way for modern genetic analysis.” Since then, the college has continued to make important scientific discoveries, resulting in 86 Nobel Prize winners.
One of the many recent discoveries to come from the college is the combination of cancer immunology and genetic engineering to create bacteria that target tumors to attract immune cells that then attack cancer cells. And the college’s future scientific research remains well-funded. For instance, in March 2023, the college gained $175 million from alumni to launch a new biomedical research institute.
The Washington Post notes that Columbia University has been producing hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing fees for over a decade due to its research. Nature notes that the college published the eighth-highest number of papers in Nature and Science in 2018.
College Cliffs considers the college to be one of the 20 best for inventors. Gizmodo names the college as an institution that prepares students for the future. Quartz names the college one of the 25 best for scientific advancements.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, California
The Animal Research division of Stanford University, which uses ethical treatment practices, has resulted in a number of important scientific discoveries. For example, Carolyn Bertozzi’s development of click chemistry and bio-orthogonal chemistry resulted in her winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022.
Researchers within this division have previously won Nobel Prizes for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic in human cells in 2013 and for identifying RNA molecules that can deactivate genes in animal cells in 2006. Currently, this division is developing a wireless implant to remove brain tumors. And this is just one division of a college that has successfully developed scientific breakthroughs.
In 2022 alone, the college gained $89 million in revenues from developing over 1,000 technologies. The college’s important scientific discoveries are nothing new. For instance, in 1964, the college’s medical school first demonstrated the ability to stimulate auditory nerves in deaf patients, resulting in the development of cochlear implants.
All indications suggest that the college will only continue to develop world-changing inventions. For example, in early 2023, the college announced that its scientists had identified a major barrier preventing rapid charging batteries’ development. The Washington Post notes that Google started out at Stanford University. Translation notes that e-readers were first devised at the college. Nature notes that the college had the second-highest proportion of published papers in Nature and Science in 2018.
College Cliffs considers it to be one of the 20 best colleges for inventors. Quartz considers it to be one of the best colleges for advancing science. Gizmodo considers it to be one of the top colleges for preparing students for the future.
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