Six U of T engineers are among those recognized by the University’s second annual Inventors of the Year Awards competition, which honoured the work of 15 inventors at a ceremony on June 7. The awards were presented in the Banting and Best Innovation Hub on College Street.
The awards recognize U of T inventors who make significant contributions in three areas:
- Biomedical and Life Sciences
- Engineering and Physical Sciences
- Information and Communication, Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities
“We decided to launch the Inventors of the Year program in 2011 to recognize the superb contributions U of T researchers make to global society through their inventions,” said Professor Paul Young, U of T’s vice president (research). “These awards give us an excellent opportunity to reinforce that university research – and, especially, U of T research — makes a difference to progress and to the quality of our lives.”
Young also noted the importance of students to the invention process. “Each award-winning project is directed by a U of T faculty member, but it is important to note that students are vital to the process. And, remember, these students will go on to apply their experiences here at U of T in their future careers, in academia, the public and private sectors, and as citizens. Once again, we see the connection between U of T research and society.”
The 2012 awards recognized a variety of inventions, ranging from the identification of a gene that, when manipulated, dramatically improves drought resistance in crops to devices that assist children with severe physical and cognitive challenges to communicate and learn.
The 2012 Inventors of the Year are:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
- J. Stewart Aitchison, The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computing Engineering; co-inventor James Dou
- Sachdev Sidhu, Banting and Best Department of Medical Research
- Peter Zandstra, Institute for Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry
- Peter McCourt, Cell and Systems Biology
Engineering and Physical Sciences
- Eugenia Kumacheva, Department of Chemistry
- Aleksandar Prodic, The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Aaron Wheeler, Department of Chemistry
Information and Communication, Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities
- Tom Chau, Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering; Bloorview Research Institute
- Eyal de Lara & Michael Brudno, Department of Computer Sciences; co-inventors Andres Lagar-Cavilla, Adin Scannell, Joseph Whitney
- Dimitrios Hatzinakos, The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
More detailed information about the winners and their inventions is available online.
