February 22, 2000 CONTACT: Lesley Deaderick (614) 292-0569

Ohio State Recognizes Innovation through Technology February 22, 2000 CONTACT: Lesley Deaderick (614) 292-0569

  COLUMBUS -- Innovation through technology was the focus of the first-ever Technology Partnerships Alliance Awards, presented Monday night (2/21/00) at the Longaberger Alumni House.

Awards were presented to five companies and Ohio State researchers that reflect the best practices in collaboration to transfer knowledge and technology into business success. Gov. Bob Taft and Ohio State President William E. Kirwan spoke at the dinner, which followed a roundtable of high-level representatives from Ohio's business and higher-education communities. The panel discussed forces that will drive a robust 21st Century economy and explored strategies for building university-business alliances.

"These awards honor organizations and individuals who know that innovation cannot be left to chance," Kirwan said. "It must be pursued systematically, fostered and nurtured through a culture that celebrates change, sustained by incentives that reward research excellence, and enhanced by partnerships that reflect the value of collaboration."

Ohio State created the Technology Partnerships Alliance to strengthen university partnerships with business and the public sector and to fortify the community's technology enterprise infrastructure.

"With Ohio State fifth in industry-sponsored research in the country, these individuals and companies are moving us progressively forward in the area of technology as we strive be a top-ranked research university," said David Allen, assistant vice president for technology partnerships.

Recipients of the 2000 Technology Partnership Awards are:

· Arthur Epstein, Distinguished University Professor of Physics and Chemistry and Director of the Ohio State Center for Materials Research. Epstein spent 12 years in research and research management at Xerox Corp. before joining Ohio State. In his 14 years at the university, his research program has garnered more than $12 million in grants and industry contracts. Most of the resulting patents have been licensed. The creator of more than 30 inventions, his best-known is the world's first plastic magnet. His light-emitting polymer portfolio has been licensed to a Fortune 500 company and is the basis of a new commercial initiative.

· L. James Lee, Director of the Center for Advanced Polymer & Composite Engineering and Professor of Chemical Engineering. Lee has succeeded in linking fundamental research in polymer engineering to the solving of critical industrial problems. His research group is recognized as the world leader in liquid composite molding, a new technology used widely in aerospace, civil infrastructure and the automotive industry. In 17 years at Ohio State, he has secured more than $10 million in external research support, including five active awards from the National Science Foundation. The center he directs conducts research sponsored by 22 companies.

· A partnership of Honda of America Mfg. Inc., the Transportation Research Center and the College of Engineering. These groups share a strong partnership to enhance automotive research capabilities and opportunities. A $6 million endowment established by Honda in 1988 has grown to a market value of $40 million with ongoing contributions from the Transportation Research Center's surplus funds. The endowment provides automotive engineering opportunities for students and supports chairs in ergonomics and material forming. One major collaborative project has advanced the technologies in intelligent vehicle highway systems.

· The Edison Welding Institute (EWI) in Columbus. Established in 1984 through cooperative efforts that included Ohio State participation, the institute is the largest nonprofit engineering organization in the United States dedicated to advancing and applying welding- and-materials-joining technology to benefit industry. EWI provides information, assistance, research, consulting and training to more than 400 member companies. Through a Cooperative Research Program, EWI sponsors research projects primarily at Ohio State and directly relates the research to the needs of its industry members. EWI and Ohio State's welding engineering program share a facility on the Science and Technology Campus.

· General Electric Aircraft Engines Division of Cincinnati, which created a University Strategic Alliance program at Ohio State's Gas Turbine Laboratory. The program is used for research programs using actual engine hardware under real-world operating conditions. The alliance provides GE Aircraft Engines privileged access to Ohio State intellectual capability and top-quality students, and benefits Ohio State by providing an opportunity for faculty to work closely with company technologists.

The awards themselves -- a transparent arc of windshield glass with an embedded invisible radio antenna placed on a base of a metal/ceramic composite -- symbolize the partnerships they celebrate. The antenna technology was developed in Ohio State's ElectroScience Laboratory and is available in the marketplace as Sungate Glass; the base composite was created in Ohio State's materials science labs and is being commercialized by a client in the Business Technology Center.