Innovation, entrepreneurship, and service celebrated

Virginia Tech honored faculty-led accomplishments in innovation, entrepreneurship, and service at the annual Celebrating Innovation event, held at the South End Zone Club in Lane Stadium.

“Innovation is crucial to the health and success of the university. In addition to the economic benefits to our community, our success in this arena attracts world class talent, which is vital to positioning Virginia Tech as a top global research university,” said Cyril Clarke, executive vice president and provost, who praised the researchers at the event. “Importantly, world-class faculty members are key to elevating Virginia Tech’s excellence in teaching, discovery, and engagement.”

Last year, the Virginia Tech research community disclosed 143 new innovations, executed 25 new license agreements with commercial partners, and created four new startup companies spun-out from Virginia Tech research — all made possible with support from Innovation and Partnership’s LINK+LICENSE+LAUNCH team, which co-hosted the event with the Office of Research and Innovation.

“As a modern land-grant university, we serve our communities in many ways, and supporting economic development is part of our tripartite mission,” said Brandy Salmon, associate vice president for Innovation and Partnerships. “Technology licensing and new venture creation is one of the primary ways we turn the amazing discoveries developed at Virginia Tech into products, jobs, and economic energy that creates opportunity and improves the lives of those around us. We are grateful to the university community that entrusts our office to support this important work.”

The following researchers were acknowledged and celebrated for their accomplishments:

Commercialization Champions

This category recognizes Virginia Tech faculty members who embody the spirit of innovation and have played an outstanding role in supporting technology translation through technology licensing. 

• Rolando Burgos is a professor of electrical and computer engineering whose research focuses on designing novel high-power electronics using wide-bandgap semiconductors and integrating them into electronic networks.
• Mike Mollenhauer, division director of technology implementation at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, is developing technologies that can save lives by making vehicles more intelligent and removing drivers and workers from dangerous situations with a high crash risk.
• Chris Williams, the L.S. Randolph Professor in Mechanical Engineering, is advancing the processes and materials of additive manufacturing to enable the creation of multifunctional artifacts using novel methods.
• Bo Zhang, associate professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, is developing new and improved soybean varieties for mid-Atlantic growers to benefit national and international soybean meal and soy food industries.

Startup Builders

The category celebrates inspiring Virginia Tech researchers who are visionaries, pursuing startups that have potential for societal and economic impact.

• Joseph Kubalak, research scientist in the the Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems (DREAMS) Lab, has focused on multi-axis toolpath planning by incorporating manufacturing considerations into a topology optimization routine that allows additive manufacturing fabricated parts to be optimized in the context of both topology and toolpath with his startup Teal Manufacturing.
• Feng Lin, associate professor of chemistry, is optimizing electric vehicles through research and development of improved batteries for these machines and other devices through his startup Fermi Energy Inc.
• Jennifer Munson, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC; Caleb Stine, senior research associate; and Jessica Cunningham, research scientist and mathematical oncologist, have created a start-up Cairina Inc., which leverages cutting-edge imaging techniques and mathematical modeling to delineate fluid and lymphatic flow patterns. This enables precise forecasting of cancer metastasis and facilitation of treatment strategies.
• Spencer Marsh is a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Rob Gourdie’s laboratory whose work with Tiny Cargo Company has led to a new method of drug delivery. This enables oral administration of drugs that previously were not able to be used in the clinic, opening the door to thousands of new drugs to help individuals around the world.  
• Webster Santos, professor of chemistry, is developing therapeutics to benefit society that help with diseases such as multiple sclerosis, obesity, chronic kidney disease, and fatty liver disease through his start up S1P Therapeutics Inc.

National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors recognizes and encourages inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhances the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourages the disclosure of intellectual property, educates and mentors innovative students, and translates the inventions of its members to benefit society.

• Eric Burger (fellow), research professor of NextG Security, has pioneered voice over intellectual property applications, enabling low-cost, high-functionality voice applications and culminating with his shepherding of 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Prevention Lifeline.
• Robin McCarley (fellow), executive director of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, has had wide-reaching and life-changing impacts through his focus on new discoveries, including the first investigative procedure for HIV and facilitating nanosensor arrays and DNA sequencing for analysis of isolated circulating tumor cells.
• Michael Bartlett (senior member), associate professor of mechanical engineering, aims to create advanced, multifunctional materials with novel combinations of mechanical and functional properties. This has led to multiple commercialized technologies and will have far-reaching impacts on society.
• Steve Rowson (senior member), associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics, has contributed to the field of injury biomechanics and ground-breaking work in developing the Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk (STAR) helmet rating system used by the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab. 

By Example Award

The award recognizes inventors who are advancing game changing technologies that are or hold the potential to make a significant human impact.

• Chris Arena, associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics, researches biomedical device design. His work in biomedical engineering education is providing direct societal impact in addition and long-lasting impacts for various students in addition to creating life-saving innovations.
• Bahareh Behkam, associate professor of mechanical engineering, has advanced research with novel disease detection through her work with micro/nanoscale systems engineering thatwill have an impact on many through potentially life-saving therapies.
• Rob Gourdie, the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund Eminent Scholar in Heart Reparative Medicine Research, has created numerous therapeutic technologies. His work with students is equipping the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs with a roadmap to the development of new therapies.
• Eli Vlaisavljevich is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics whose research has led to the first completely noninvasive, nonthermal, and nonionizing cancer ablation method, histotripsy, which has the potential to be a paradigm-shifting cancer therapy for many types of cancer.

For researchers interested in technology transfer and start-up creation, learn more about training programs, LICENSE Tech Transfer Bootcamp and LAUNCH Start-up Labs, and dedicated resources. Connect with a team member to learn more.