2016 Invent Alaska Competition winners announced

May 20, 2016

UAF photo. Winners of the 2016 Invent Alaska awards gather with Vice Chancellor of Research Larry Hinzman, fifth from right, and Mark Billingsley, Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization contracts director, third from right. The winners, from left, include Rajive Ganguli, Rob Rember, Simon Filhol, Tathagata Ghosh, Rich Collins, Heidi Rader, Mindy Courter, Robert Coker and James Long.

Eight inventors from the University of Alaska Fairbanks community won awards in the 2016 Invent Alaska Competition held by the UAF Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization.

Vice Chancellor for Research Larry Hinzman announced the winners at a ceremony May 6. The competition was open to UAF students and employees.

The winners were honored for their achievements in technology and research and for their contributions to the local economy and community.

The 2016 Invent Alaska winners are:

Robert Coker, faculty member in the Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, was recognized for research leading to commercialization of Myo-Canine. Myo-Canine is a food product that maintains skeletal muscle while reducing fat in obese animals.

Mindy Courter, student in the School of Education, won a student innovation award in social science for her app, "Time of Need," that is targeted to assist homeless people locate food, shelter and other local resources.Simon Filhol, student in the Department of Geosciences and at the International Arctic Research Center. He won a student innovation award in environmental science for his app, "Data Cache," which allows researchers to collect real-time data from data loggers.

Rajive Ganguli and Tathagata Ghosh, faculty members in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering, won a faculty innovation award in industrial processes and workforce development for their work on the Dynamic Mill Simulator. It simulates mining operations for managing mines and training mine operators.

James Long, staff member at the International Arctic Research Center, won a staff innovation award for extending open-source software for high-performance computers. The SLURM plug-in improves efficiency of cluster computer systems by managing library resources locally in the cluster.

Rob Rember, faculty member at the International Arctic Research Center, won a faculty innovation award in scientific instrumentation for his work on the Sea Ice Corer. The Sea Ice Corer is designed to take ice samples without contamination, allowing accurate testing of ice for trace elements.

Heidi Rader, staff member with the Cooperative Extension Service, won a staff innovation award in citizen science for her app, "Grow and Tell," which allows gardeners and farmers to share crop selection and yield information.

“I’m thrilled that the Invent Alaska competition highlighted the depth and diversity at the university," said OIPC director Richard Collins. "The turnout represents the increasing awareness of innovation at UAF. I look forward to next year.”

OIPC services for UAF researchers include patenting, copyright, non-disclosure agreements, conflict of interest plans and assistance with small business development. Each researcher receives a customized approach to protecting their research.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Melissa McCumby, misalley@alaska.edu, 907-474-2605.

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/oipc