R&D Council Honors 2014 Patent Award Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact Kim Case, Esq., Executive Director, at 973-274-8336 or
R&D Council Honors 2014 Patent Award Winners
and Special Individuals
Special Awards for John Mooney, Dr. Ralph Izzo, and Rutgers University President Dr. Robert Barchi
Chatham, N.J., October 14, 2014: The Research & Development Council of New Jersey will honor the winners of the 2014 Thomas Edison Patent Awards tonight at the 35th Edison Patent Awards Ceremony & Reception. Nearly 50 inventors and 13 New Jersey companies and universities will be recognized this evening.
Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, Avaya, BASF, Colgate-Palmolive Company, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, Honeywell, Immunomedics, Merck, NJIT, Novartis, Siemens Corporate Technology, TE Connectivity SubCom, and U.S. Army ARDEC will be acknowledged for innovative patent work spanning thirteen R&D categories, including biotechnology, communications technology, consumer products, defense, enabling technology, energy, environmental, industrial process, information technology, materials technology, pharmaceutical formulation, pharmaceutical process, and telecommunications.
“The Council is delighted to honor this year’s incredible leaders of innovation with the 2014 Edison Patent Awards,” said Kathleen Scotto, Ph.D., Research & Development Council of New Jersey Chairwoman and Vice-Chancellor for Research, Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences and Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “Every year, the nominees impress the Council with their inventions that contribute to New Jersey’s long-standing reputation for excellence in research and development.”
The R&D Council will also honor chemical engineer and co-inventor of the three-way catalytic converter, John J. Mooney; the Chairman, President and CEO of PSEG, Ralph Izzo, Ph.D.; and the 20th Rutgers University President Robert Barchi, M.D., Ph.D., for their unique contributions to the state’s STEM economy.
John J. Mooney will receive the R&D Council’s highest award, the Science & Technology Medal. This medal is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology, while successfully bringing innovation from the laboratory to the marketplace. Mr. Mooney receives this award for co-inventing the three-way catalytic converter, an invention recognized in the top ten most important automobile innovations. Mr. Mooney has spent his entire life in New Jersey and contributing to the STEM economy. Born and raised in Paterson, Mr. Mooney worked for PSE&G while attending Seton Hall University where he received his Bachelor in Science in Chemistry, after which he obtained a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from NJIT, and later, an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Before retiring, Mr. Mooney worked for Engelhard Industries, now the Catalysts division of BASF, for 43 years. In 2002, the president of the United States awarded Mr. Mooney with the National Medal of Technology, the nation’s highest honor for science and technology.
PSEG Chairman, President and CEO Dr. Ralph Izzo will receive the Chairman’s Award. Dr. Izzo was selected for his leadership in the utility industry as well as the public policy arena. With a doctorate degree in physics, he is frequently asked to testify before Congress and speak to organizations on matters pertaining to national energy policy. Dr. Izzo also shares his leadership and expertise outside of the energy industry, serving as Chair of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Rutgers University Board of Governors.
Rutgers University’s 20th President, Robert Barchi, M.D., Ph.D. will be honored as Educator of the Year. Dr. Barchi was selected for his leadership in overseeing the largest higher education merger in U.S. history and formation of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS), a major new health care education, research and clinical division at Rutgers University. Rutgers merger combined with the creation of RBHS has greatly improved New Jersey’s STEM economy, increasing capacity in STEM in higher education and opening the door for more partnership opportunities between STEM industry and academia.
The 35th Patent Award Ceremony & Reception will take place at the Liberty Science Center. The Liberty Science Center is home to the nation’s largest IMAX Theater, where a short original film will pay tribute to the work of each of the patents and the inventors.
“This year’s ceremony will honor three notable individuals and dozens of exceptional inventors with our 2014 Edison Patent Awards, recognizing each recipient for revolutionizing the world we live in through their broad range of inventions,” said Council President Anthony S. Cicatiello. “From novel environmentally friendly production methods to enhanced communication systems, recipients encompass an ingenious group that is devoted to research and development, and diverse in their accomplishments.”
For more than half a century, the Research & Development Council of New Jersey has been dedicated to cultivating an environment supportive of the advancement of research and development in New Jersey. Established in 1962, the Council was created to serve as a unified voice for the three R&D sectors — industry, academia and government — to work with the State to create an environment R&D could thrive in. The R&D Council is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose membership includes representatives from academia, government and industry, including several Fortune 500 companies. More information can be found at the R&D Council’s website: www.rdnj.org.
2014 Edison Patent Award Winning Patents and Inventors
Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs and inventors Thomas L. Marzetta and Alexei Ashikhmin will receive the patent award in the telecommunications category for “MIMO System Having a Plurality of Service Antennas For Data Transmission Thereof” (U.S. Patent 8,594,215), an invention that comprises a decentralized architecture for a Massive MIMO (large-scale antenna systems). The advantages of this architecture over an architecture based on a centralized processor include scalability, reliability, and the ability to quickly put any subset of antennas to sleep during periods of slack demand and to quickly revive them as needed.
Avaya Inc. and inventors Lorraine Denby, Bengi Karacali, and the late Jean Meloche will be recognized with a patent award in the information technology category for “Method and Apparatus For Automatic Determination of Performance Problem Locations in a Network” (U.S. Patent 7,408,885). The invention is a process for quickly identifying the location and root cause of network performance problems when voice, video, and data are carried over an Internet Protocol (IP) Network. The method applies equally well to paths at the network layer and the data link layer.
BASF Corporation and inventors Xiaolin D. Yang, Ph.D, Pascaline H. Tran, Ph.D., and Lawrence Shore will receive the patent award in the environmental category for “Pollutant Emission Control Sorbents and Methods of Manufacture and Use” (U.S. Patent 8,685,351 B2), while a solution for mercury emission compliance, this pollutant emission control sorbent also preserves fly ash value as a raw materials sourced for concrete applications..
Colgate-Palmolive Company and inventors Suman K. Chopra, Lynette Zaidel, and Michael Prencipe have been selected for a patent award in the consumer products category for “Single Phase Whitening Dentrifice” (U.S. Patent 8,591,868 B2). This invention resulted in a daily whitening tooth[aste that combines surface stain removal with the whitening power of hydrogen peroxide, giving consumers noticeably whiter teeth on one week.
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company and inventors Margaret M. Wu, Norman Yang, Lisa S. Baugh, Jo Ann M. Canich, Steven P. Rucker, John F. Walzer Jr., Gordon H. Lee, Andrew Jackson, Frederick Yip-Kwai Lo, Shakeel Tirmizi, Mark Hagemeister, Peijun Jiang and Chia S. Chee have been selected for a patent award in the industrial process category for “Polyalpha-olefin Compositions and Processes to Produce the Same” (U.S. Patent 8,748,361). This invention describes the composition, properties, and synthesis of a new class of polyalpha-olefins, which are a basic building block of synthetic lubricating oils. These new building blocks are synthesized with a metallocene catalyst. The performance capabilities of these new building blocks enabled a new product opportunity for ExxonMobil known as SpectraSyn Elite™, which creates the flexibility to develop finished lubricants with many improved properties.
Honeywell and inventors John V. Facinelli, Timothy J. Kraft, and Robbyn L. Prange will receive the patent award in the materials technology category for “Methods For Preparing Polyamide Compositions” (U.S. Patent 8,722,844 B1), an invention improving the manufacturing process of high molecular weight nylon resins using solid state polymerization and a phosphorous-based catalyst. These resins are widely used for a variety of consumer applications, particularly in flexible packaging of meats and cheese. This new technology leads to greater productivity and lower manufacturing costs.
Immunomedics and inventors Serengulam V. Govindan, Ph.D., Sung-Ju Moon, Ph.D., and David M. Goldenberg, Sc.D. will receive a patent award in the biotechnology category for “Immunoconjugates with an intracellularly-cleavable linkage” (U.S. Patent 7,999,083), an invention that delivers higher amounts of an FDA-approved cancer drug to the tumor by linking the drug to cancer-targeting antibodies with a unique linker that detaches the active drug near the disease sites. The invention has resulted in the creation of novel antibody-drug conjugates that have produced tumor shrinkage and tumor control in patients with a broad spectrum of difficult-to-treat solid cancers.
Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., and inventors Christopher Savile (Codexis), Emily Mundorff (Codexis), Jeffrey C. Moore, Paul N. Devine, and Jacob M. Janey will receive a patent award in the pharmaceutical process category for “Transaminase Biocatalysts” (U.S. Patent 8,293,507 B2), a technological breakthrough that transforms the nt production of the diabetes drug Januvia® into a more efficient and sustainable manufacturing process. It also leads to a significantly greener synthesis with reduced consumption of organic solvents and removes the need for heavy metals. The new synthesis has been approved by the FDA for the manufacture of sitagliptin, the active ingredient of Januvia®. This was a joint effort between Merck and Codexis.
New Jersey Institute of Technology and inventors Somenath Mitra and Zafar Iqbal will receive a patent award in the enabling technology category for “Microwave Induced Functionalization of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes” (U.S Patent 7,754,054). This invention describes the use of microwave heating in a closed vessel over to create rapid, environmentally friendly functionalization of carbon nanotubes. With this invention, functionalizing reaction times significantly drop from days to minutes, and the use of toxic solvents is eliminated.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and inventors Tomoyuki Oomura, Madhussudhan Pudipeddi, Colleen Ruegger, Alan E. Royce, Masaki Sasaki and Tamura Tokuhiro will receive a patent award in the pharmaceutical formulation category for “Solid pharmaceutical compositions comprising a SIP receptor agonist and a sugar alcohol” (U.S. Patent 8,324,283). The invention relates to the discovery, development and commercial manufacture of the formulation of fingolimod drug substance into Gilenya capsules for treatment of multiple sclerosis. Fingolimod, an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) targeted for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) exhibited poor stability when combined with typical pharmaceutical excipients and it also had a low sub-milligram therapeutic dose making achievement of dosing accuracy a major challenge. Through a combination of advanced statistical techniques, including design of experiments, state of the art analytics and pharmaceutical processing techniques, a unique formulation containing a sugar alcohol allowed the development of a capsule dosage form with acceptable stability and dose accuracy.
Siemens Corporate Technology and inventors Thomas Gruenewald, Georg Muenzel, and George Lo., Ph.D.. will be recognized with a patent award in the energy category for “Integrated Demand Response for Energy Utilization” (U.S Patent 8,676,394). The invention describes methods and devices for efficient holistic management of energy resources and demands within large-scale facilities such as office buildings and industrial plants, and the ability to efficiently implement a specific energy load reduction request.
TE Connectivity SubCom and inventors Maurice E. Kordahi and Steven Bernstein will receive a patent award in the communication technology category for “Fiber Retaining System” (U.S. Patent 6,438,300), a mechanical device that is capable of terminating multiple optical fibers in an undersea fiber-optic cable without an increase in attenuation caused by stresses on the fiber. This product has successfully been used in undersea repeaters and cable-to-cable joints connecting over 350,000 km of undersea telecommunications cable that transmits massive amounts of data around the world.
U.S. Army ARDEC and inventors Jesse J. Sabatini, Ph.D., Jay C. Poret, Ph.D., and Russell N. Broad will be recognized with a patent award in the defense category for “Green Light Emitting Pyrotechnic Compositions” (U.S Patent 8,282,749). The invention uses boron carbide compositions to produce safe, easy to use and low cost green light. Traditionally, the Army and other US military branches, along with the civilian fireworks sector, used barium compounds and chlorinated organic compounds that are occupation health hazards and produce cardiotoxic products. This technology can be tuned to produce different light outputs and different burning rates depending on the fuel/oxidizer ratio and packaged illuminant configuration.