Invention of the Year Award: 2005

Meet the 2005 Recipients

Physical Science
The Physical Science winners developed a patent-pending technology that for the first time can produce hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuels without the high levels of carbon monoxide that traditionally occur in this type of process. The majority of commercial hydrogen is produced from hydrocarbon fuels.

The team included Clark School Assistant Professor Gregory S. Jackson (not pictured), mechanical engineering, UM Prof. Bryan W. Eichhorn (far right) and graduate student Shenghu Zhou (far left).

Life Science
The team that garnered the top prize in the life science category has produced new, patent-pending biomaterials for tissue engineering that avoid problems with premature degradation associated with previous materials developed for growing new cells within the body.

Team members included Clark School Assistant Professor John P. Fisher (far left) and students Parth Modi (second from left) and Jennifer Lynn Moreau (far right), all chemical and biomolecular engineering, accompanied UM alum Sachiko Kaihara (not pictured).

Information Science
Clark School Assistant Professor Maria I. Klapa (not pictured) and graduate assistant Harin Kanani (left), both of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department, won in this category for a patent-pending metabolomics technology that enables highly accurate and simultaneous measurement of hundreds of metabolites (e.g. glucose, amino acids) in biological systems, for uses such as early disease diagnosis, personalized nutrition and medicine, functional genomics, and safe use of genetically modified food.

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