BlackboardFaculty Honored for Innovative Ideas
The Florida State University Office of Research honored FSU faculty members who have made great strides to commercialize their research results during a special ceremony held Nov. 17 at the University Center Club.
John Fraser, the university's assistant vice president for Research and director of the Office of Intellectual Property Development and Commercialization, provided opening comments for the Sixth Annual Florida State University Innovators Reception.
"We are so pleased that the research and creative work done at FSU is increasingly being recognized by the private sector through funded contracts and product-development licensing," he said.
Vice President for Research Kirby W. Kemper hosted the reception. During the event, he presented pocket sundials to researchers who have worked to commercialize their inventive and creative ideas during the 2009-2010 fiscal year by having The Florida State University license or option their technology, or by winning a GAP Award. (Grant Assistance Program, or GAP, awards, selected twice a year, are presented to researchers who can most clearly identify the commercial viability of a product, process or license that they believe will result from their collaboration with a corporate partner.)
The sundial was given to award recipients because it is one of the oldest known scientific devices for measuring time and direction — two of the hallmarks of the technology-transfer process in general.
The Innovators Reception was well attended by faculty, staff and students, as well as leaders from the Tallahassee business community.
The following Engineering faculty members were among 11 who received 2010 Innovator Awards for the research projects:
2010 GAP Award Winners
- Richard Liang (Professor, High-Performance Materials Institute): Novel Light-weight, Flexible EMI Shielding Material. Liang will build one or more demonstration devices to show the level of electromagnetic shielding that can be obtained using composites fabricated in varying thicknesses with one or more carbon nanotube face layers.
- Teng Ma (Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering): Bone Regeneration Technology. A perfusion bioreactor and polymeric hydroxyapatite technology that Ma has perfected at Florida State is being used to grow adult stem cells on and within natural bone and artificial bone scaffolds. Ma will also collaborate with Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic to test these implants for use in orthopedic surgery.
- Principal investigators who submitted an invention or work disclosure, had a U.S. patent application filed, and/or had a U.S. patent issued during the 2009-2010 fiscal year were also formally recognized and presented with a laminated honor roll listing their names and achievements.
Co-sponsors of the Sixth Annual Innovators Appreciation Reception were Allen, Dyer, Doppelt & Gilchrist; Novak, Druce & Quigg; Pennington, Moore, Wilkinson, Bell and Dunbar; Smith Hopen; Sutherland Asbill; and Vedder Price.
FSU's Office of Intellectual Property Development and Commercialization assists faculty, staff and students in moving their innovative research results and creative work into public use by licensing to outside organizations to develop and market products based on FSU research.
The office manages projects that span a wide array of activities that range from the hard sciences and engineering to music and theater. This is achieved by working with faculty, staff and students whose research or creative endeavors show the potential for commercial success.
