The internet, smartphones, fast computers, modern cancer-monitoring techniques, and laser-based imaging systems for self-driving cars would be unthinkable without optical science.

On April 13, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s College of Optics & Photonics will open its doors to high school and college students to demonstrate how this field of study is making life easier today and the exciting possibilities just around the corner.

On Optics Day, students will have the opportunity to see labs where Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty and students are generating vivid colors with quantum dots, developing fluorescent probes for medical use, and creating switchable lenses that change the location of images in virtual and augmented reality, among many other futuristic technologies.

“Things that once appeared in sci-fi movies are quickly approaching reality, in large part thanks to optics and photonics science,� said MJ Soileau, a professor of optics and photonics, electrical and computer engineering, and physics. “Optics and photonics enables 15 percent of the growth domestic product of the USA, but that means the future will need experts in this area to maintain the technology, and to push us even further. That’s why we are having an Optics Day at CREOL (Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers in the College of Optics & Photonics). It’s a way to show kids why this is a really cool area of study to follow. Fantastic job opportunities wait for our students.�

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has one of the best graduate programs in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. The high educational standards in combination with outstanding research opportunities and world-class faculty makes CREOL an ideal place to learn from the best, said Stefan Gausmann, a Ph.D. optics student and one of the organizers of the event. CREOL also hosts one of the only six undergraduate photonic engineering programs in the nation.

The celebration runs from 1 to 4 p.m. and will include lab tours, optics demonstrations, talks and question-and-answer sessions with CREOL students and alumni.

During his tenure as a key figure in the Department of Chemistry, Clausen taught physical and inorganic chemistry, general chemistry, and graduate level courses for many thousands of students. He also was instrumental in developing the first graduate program in the department, the M.S. in industrial chemistry. Much of his research focused on developing new, environmentally friendly materials and synthesizing catalytic agents that help destroy toxic materials already in existence.

“He was among the first of our faculty to engage in partnerships with regional industry and [Kennedy Space Center], and among the first to pursue patents for his discovery,â€� said MJ Soileau, a professor in the College of Optics & Photonics and former vice president of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Office of Research and Commercialization.

“He was an absolutely devoted teacher at the undergrad and graduate level. He found ways to have Ph.D. students obtain their degrees at sister State University System institutions during the period before we had a Ph.D. in chemistry at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. It is no exaggeration to say that Chris set the stage for us to be America’s partnership university, long before anyone started using that term.â€�

For his work, Clausen was presented the Florida Academy of Sciences’ 2003 Medalist Award for his outstanding contributions in science and in 2007 was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame for helping develop a technology that cleans up water and soils contaminated by harsh, chlorinated solvents.

Colleagues not only remember him for his contributions in and out of the classroom, but also his generous nature.

“Dr. Clausen touched so many lives in his career through his teaching, research, support and dedication to his students, the department and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½,â€� said Professor Cherie Yestrebsky, department chair. “His warm, jovial nature, and his love of science will be missed by faculty, staff, and students.â€�

Clausen also was known for his tailgating at Knights’ games from the very beginning of football at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

“Things were much less formal in those days so he would show up at the Citrus Bowl, set up to cook a Cajun feast, get tickets for community partners, invite students to the tailgate, set up volleyball games in the parking areas, etc.,� Soileau said. “Chris was the most generous, big-hearted person that I have ever known.�

Clausen grew up in New Orleans and earned his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and his doctorate from the University of New Orleans. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and owned a consultant company, Scientific Specialists Consulting.

He and his widow, Julia, were married for 55 years. He also is survived by son Christian IV; daughters Crystal C. Harmon and Christina Clausen; grandchildren and extended family members.

Family and friends are planning a “celebration of life� gathering in March.

Soileau, who oversees the office responsible for taking research from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ labs into industry, is also an accomplished scientist, researcher and professor. It was his innovative research in the advancement of high-energy laser optics that earned him this recognition.

His pioneering work has been recognized multiple times by a variety of organizations, from the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, where he was elected a fellow in 2007, to the National Academy of Inventors, which named him a fellow in 2013. He is a fellow of The Optical Society (OSA) and he earned a gold medal from SPIE and OSA’s Esther Hoffman Beller award.

Soileau was the first director of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s internationally recognized Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL). In 1999, he was named vice president for Research and Commercialization. The office also provides contract and grant services for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty. Under Soileau’s leadership, research funding increased from $36.6 million in 1998 to an accumulated $1.2 billion since 2000.

Just as important, under Soileau’s leadership Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has made its mark commercializing technology, stimulating the local economy, and helping to establish a strong concentration of companies in optics and lasers, simulation and training, computer science, alternative energy and biomedical sciences.

Even as he worked to help position Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ for success, Soileau continued to conduct his own work in the area of nonlinear optical properties of materials and lasers. He holds patents for optics devices that have contributed to the advancement of high-energy laser optics.

Soileau, a Louisiana sharecropper’s son who hoed cotton to pay for college, received his Ph.D. in quantum electronics from the University of Southern California and is a distinguished professor of optics, electrical and computer engineering and physics. He announced last year he would step down from his position in the Office of Research and Commercialization this year, but will continue to serve as a professor.

Seven inventors, including Nobel laureate Andrew Schally, are part of the 2016 inductees into the Florida Hall of Fame. The recipients will be honored at a gala Sept. 16 in Tampa.

“We are delighted to be announcing this class of exceptional inventors whose work has greatly impacted Florida and our nation,� said Randy Berridge, who serves on the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame advisory board and as chair of the selection committee.

Issa Batarseh, who has made significant technical contributions in the field of power electronics, and Guifang Li, a professor of optics and photonics who specializes in optical fiber communications, are Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s eighth and ninth members of the select academy.

Election to NAI Fellow status is a high professional distinction given to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

The class of 168 Fellows named today brings the total number of NAI Fellows to 582, representing more than 190 research universities and governmental and non-profit research institutions. The 2015 Fellows account for more than 5,300 issued U.S. patents, bringing the collective patents held by all NAI Fellows to more than 20,000. These academic luminaries have made a significant impact to the economy through innovative discoveries, creating startup companies, and enhancing the culture of academic invention.

Batarseh joined Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 1991 and has distinguished himself by establishing the Florida Power Electronics Center, conducting significant scholarly research which has resulted in more than 100 published papers in refereed journals, and more than 200 refereed papers at international conferences. He is a Fellow of both the IEEE and the AAAS and, in 2004, received the Davis Productivity Award for Best Invention recognized by the State of Florida. He has graduated 42 Ph.D. students and more than 70 masters and undergraduate students.

Over the years, Batarseh has helped secure more than $12 million for his work in developing innovative power electronic systems to convert energy collected in solar panels into domestic electricity grids and similar topics in power electronics. He is also a founding partner of a start-up, Petra Solar, which is commercializing solar-electronics-conversion systems, and he has received 27 patents.

Li is the recipient of both the NSF Career award and the ONR Young Investigator Award, and is a fellow of IEEE, SPIE and the Optical Society of America. He is a deputy editor for Optics Express and an associate editor for Photonics Technology Letters.

His research interests include optical communication and networking, RF photonics and all-optical signal processing. He has collaborated widely with academic institutions and industry.

Li’s research, totaling $4.7 million, has focused on high-capacity optical fiber communication systems. He has been awarded 26 patents.

The NAI Fellows will be inducted April 15 as part of the fifth annual conference of the National Academy of Inventors at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Va. Fellows will be presented with a trophy, medal, and rosette pin in honor of their outstanding accomplishments.

Other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ members of the academy are Leonid Glebov, Shin-Tson Wu, Michael Bass, and Peter Delfyett, all from the College of Optics & Photonics; MJ Soileau, vice president for research and commercialization; Sudipta Seal, NanoScience Technology Center and the College of Engineering & Computer Science; Tson Wu and Marwan Simaan from the College of Engineering & Computer Science.

With confirmed interest of more than 55 companies spanning the entire value-chain of integrated photonics, PRISM is seeking additional interested industry partners to participate in the development of an agenda of priority challenges in the evolution of integrated photonics.  PRISM is gearing up to submit a full proposal by March 31.

The Department of Defense will award $110 million to the winner of the IP-IMI, which will bridge the gap between basic research and product development. Proposers are required to make an equal investment in the project.  PRISM is anchored by $120 million in investments already committed by the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, Osceola County, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and Enterprise Florida in a 100,000- square-foot state of the art advanced manufacturing research facility being built in Osceola County. That facility is managed by the International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research (ICAMR), a non-profit industry-led consortium.

PRISM is led by Winston Schoenfeld, who currently serves as director of the crystalline silicon (c-Si) branch of the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC), and was responsible for the establishment of the first industry-led domestic manufacturing consortium for c-Si photovoltaics.  He also serves as director of the Solar Technologies Research Division at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Florida Solar Energy Center, and is an associate professor of optics at CREOL, The College of Optics & Photonics. Schoenfeld has a broad background that spans both academia and industry, including high-tech startups, uniquely positioning him to lead this effort across industrial, academic, and government sectors.

The competition seeks to strengthen the U.S. manufacturing base by developing innovations utilizing photonics circuits and identifying and overcoming obstacles in fabrication, packaging, testing and validation.

Osceola County’s more than $61 million investment for design, construction and equipment costs associated with the facility in addition to the land, makes pursuit of the grant more feasible, officials said.

Additional collaborators have the opportunity to help shape PRISM’s response to the federal call to provide national leadership in establishing a robust and vital integrated photonics industry.

Political leaders have embraced the efforts of PRISM and ICAMR and emphasize the potential economic impact such an ambitious project will have in the region.

Congressman Dan Webster, who represents Florida’s 10th district including part of the I-4 corridor, said “The Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ College of Optics and Photonics is a recognized leader in photonics-related R&D, and I am excited for the positive impact that this industry cluster will have on Florida’s economic stability. Photonics is a critical aspect to our national security and global competitiveness, and I am in full support of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s new initiative.”

Congressman Alan Grayson, whose district includes Osceola County, expressed excitement for the possibility of manufacturing growth in Central Florida and said Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has the strengths needed to lead the effort.

“The university is a global leader in the photonics field and it is uniquely positioned to lead this nationwide effort,� Grayson said. “An institute of this kind would be an incredible asset to the Central Florida community, bringing new employment opportunities to the area, increasing higher-wage jobs, and expanding our state’s economy.�

And Sen. Bill Nelson, who has been a consistent supporter of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and its research efforts, said, “This is yet another feather in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s cap as the university continues to establish itself as a major research institution.â€�

Securing federal funding for PRISM would greatly add to the roughly 30,000 photonics-related jobs in the state, said Alex Fong, president of the Florida Photonics Cluster. While a 2009 report by The Corridor and Florida Photonics Cluster put the gross regional product at $3.65 billion and sales of these companies at $7.27 billion, the national impact of the industry rises to more than $3 trillion.

Potential partners are encouraged to contact project lead Michael Macedonia at Michael.Macedonia@ucf.edu or (407) 453-1551.

President John C. Hitt announced Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s decision to go after the federal money at today’s groundbreaking ceremony for the first-of-its-kind Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center in Osceola County. Hitt joined Osceola County Commission Chairman Fred Hawkins Jr., Commissioner Frank Attkisson and other dignitaries at the center site, located on 20 acres owned by Osceola County near the intersection of U.S. 192 and Florida’s Turnpike.

“Together, we are building a new catalyst for our region’s economy while positioning our state as a leader in the manufacturing of the future,� Hitt said.

Hawkins said: “The timing of this effort is perfect. It’s a testament to the hard work of all our partners who are here today and who have helped us be in a position to move forward on this project. As a lifelong Osceola resident and businessman, I’m elated about the opportunities that await us.�

The center, a partnership with Osceola County government, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (The Corridor) and the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, would house many of the research activities associated with the institute if Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s bid is successful.

The center is a 100,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing research facility set to open in 2016. Partners in the project aim to create the world’s first industry-led smart-sensor consortium. The facility will develop innovative manufacturing processes and materials to advance production of smart sensors. Sensors are expected to shape the future of automobiles, surgical devices, home appliances and much more.

Some smart sensors are already embedded in things we use every day, such as remote controls. There are other potential applications from detecting deadly carbon monoxide to showing a doctor how cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes affect the body.

Enterprise Florida, the University of Florida and the University of South Florida also are partners in the center’s initiative, a tangible example of what the White House has described as the future for manufacturing in this country.

President Barack Obama earlier this month announced the competition, signaling the White House’s support of investment in this area and the belief that photonics – a new technology that harnesses the power of light and lasers – will be a cornerstone in manufacturing’s future. Manufacturing continues to be the bedrock of jobs in America and photonics manufacturing holds the promise of making America a magnet for good, middle-class jobs.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s College of Optics & Photonics and its Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers, a recognized national leader in its field, is uniquely positioned to lead the effort, which will include partners from industry, universities, state colleges, local governments and nonprofits.

“We are in full-court-press-mode to develop a proposal,â€� said MJ Soileau, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s vice president for Research & Commercialization.

The federal initiative aligns in many ways with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s strengths in integrated photonics manufacturing, a sign that the government picked up on measures proposed by CREOL in an earlier request for information by the Department of Defense, which would manage the national initiative, said Bahaa Saleh, dean of the College of Optics & Photonics.

Although a request for proposals is not expected until the end of the month, Saleh said he expects the creation of a photonics manufacturing center will remain in the solicitation.

The creation of a federal Photonics Manufacturing Institute for Manufacturing Innovation in Florida would greatly add to the roughly 30,000 photonics-related jobs in the state, said Alex Fong, president of the Florida Photonics Cluster. While a 2009 report by The Corridor and Florida Photonics Cluster put the gross regional product at $3.65 billion and sales of these companies at $7.27 billion, the national impact of the industry rises to more than $3 trillion.

While pursuing the federal money, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and its partners are not waiting to move forward with construction of the center.

As these innovations become ready for the marketplace, the center’s partners envision growth in high-wage jobs for Central Floridians. The White House announcement, on the heels of the center’s approval in June, shows Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and the Central Florida community are envisioning the future and making it happen today.

As leaders celebrated Thursday and talked about what tomorrow would bring, construction crews were turning earth and preparing the land for the new facility. The project is expected to cost about $270 million over five years and would become self-sufficient five years after becoming fully operational. Osceola County has committed to investing $61 million for design, construction and equipment costs associated with the facility in addition to the land. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ will lease the building for $1 a year for 30 years and will operate the center. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is set to provide $10 million – from non-state and non-tuition sources – to help design and build the center and for start-up costs, as well as an additional $7 million for focused faculty hires.

The Corridor will contribute $1 million initially. The Corridor also will expand the scope of its signature Matching Grants Research Program at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida to include sensor-driven advanced manufacturing. Up to $5 million of matching funds will be available for research activities and the operation of the consortium over five years.

“From the outset it was clear that this partnership with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and Osceola County has the potential for a huge impact in terms of jobs and opportunity that will change our economic landscape, but little did we know it could happen this rapidly,â€� said Corridor president Randy Berridge.

The funding totals reflect successful collaborations with industry, a record total for federal defense grants and continued growth in commercialization and innovation activity.

“This is, of course, the trajectory we like to see and shows the continued promise of our commitment to work in partnership to meet the economic needs of our community,� said MJ Soileau, vice president for research & commercialization.

The highest funded unit, Student Development and Enrollment Services, received $29 million from Lockheed Martin Corp. to fund workplace training for graduate and undergraduate students. The program, which began in 1986, has grown to include 300-400 students semester who work part-time at Lockheed while maintaining grade point averages of 3.0 or higher in their classes at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. The funding allows for expansion of the program into 2016.

The College of Engineering & Computer Science received $19.3 million for projects including the use of agricultural robotics, aerial imaging and sensors that is helping detect disease in citrus and strawberries earlier than previously possible. Yunjun Xu, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, is leading the $1.2 million grant and is working together with a University of Florida team to expand the research from strawberries to citrus crops.

The Institute for Simulation & Training received $15.2 million, including more than $1 million to researcher Stephanie Lackey for multiple projects to advance the state-of-the-art in use of robots in the military. Her team’s research explores in-depth the interactions between humans and robots and drives development of simulation systems of the future.

Federal awards totaled $72.2 million and included Florida’s only Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative award received by Zenghu Chang in the College of Sciences and the College of Optics & Photonics. Chang is the lead investigator on a $7.5 million project to generate ever-shorter laser pulses and is a co-investigator on a $6.5 million program led by the University of California, Berkeley. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ also received five awards worth nearly $2 million from the Defense University Research Program. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, the University of Illinois and Rutgers University were the only universities in the nation that received five grants.

Funding for industry and other sources including professional and non-profit organizations was $59.4 million while state and local funding combined was $14 million.

The National Center for Optics and Photonics Education (OP-TEC), was funded by National Science Foundation for $3.4 million. The Center, overseen by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, is helping more than 50 colleges throughout the U.S. initiate and improve associate degree programs to prepare technicians in optics, lasers and photonics. OP-TEC, through a series of NSF grants, has been developing teaching materials, training new faculty and providing them professional development since 2006.

In community engagement activity, College of Health and Public Affairs researcher Eugene Paoline III received $486,500 from the National Institute of Justice to study police early intervention systems.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s commercialization activity also continues to grow. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ ranked 9th in the nation among U.S. public universities for patents produced in 2012 in a survey by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association. The university reported 57 U.S. patents and 23 licenses and options executed in 2014.

Three Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ professors with an accumulated 110 patents, Michael Bass and Peter Delfyett from CREOL – the College of Optics & Photonics (CREOL-COP) and Sudipta Seal, engineering professor and director of the NanoScience Technology Center and the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center were inducted into the National Academy of Inventors as Fellows.

And S.T. Wu, a professor at CREOL-COP whose work has significantly advanced liquid crystal displays and the screens we use every day on smartphones, televisions and computers , was inducted into the new Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. Wu was joined in the inaugural class of six by such innovation icons as Thomas Edison, Gatorade inventor Robert Cade, and John Gorrie, the air conditioning pioneer.

The fiscal year produced Millionaire Club or researchers who have received $1 million or more in funding during the year. The millionaires were recognized during a gathering on campus last week where Provost Dale Whittaker lauded the group and their contributions toward improving lives and livelihoods.

Awards totaling $39.9 million will help 149 university researchers at 84 academic institutions purchase state-of-the-art research equipment, which will benefit science education, medical training and the preparation of troops.

“Our strategy of focusing on research that stimulates the local and state economies has served us very well in competing for these federal awards,â€� said MJ Soileau, vice president for research and commercialization at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. “Our faculty have consistently shown that they can compete with the best and the equipment purchased with these awards will position them even better for future funding. This is particularly important since most contracts and grants are for specific work to be done and have little or no money for purchase of major capital equipment.â€�    

The money coming to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ will purchase major equipment for projects in the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers|College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL|COP) and the Institute for Simulation and Training in partnership with the College of Nursing.    

The CREOL|COP projects include:

Professor Greg Welch from the College of Nursing, IST and the College of Engineering and Computer Science received $178,000 from the Office of Naval Research to purchase specialized humanoid robots with computer-rendered or rubber “skin� faces that allow the robots to perform as surrogate humans. The work he is conducting, along with professors Arjun Nagendran in IST and Charles Hughes in CECS, will create an integrated platform for testing and developing these surrogate humans and associated computer graphics and animation to assist in training for the military, healthcare and teaching. 

The Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research fund the projects. They received 735 proposals requesting $278 million in support for research equipment.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, the University of Illinois and Rutgers University were the only universities to receive five awards. 

The other Florida universities receiving awards this year are the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University, with one award each.

In addition to her extensive experience at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, where she received her bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering and has served in administrative roles ranging from executive associate dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and interim dean of the NanoScience Technology Center, she has worked in the private sector. She served as a consulting engineer for companies in Atlanta and was chief of the research & development division of the Bureau of Pollution Control in that city.

From 2011-2013 Reinhart served as the Environmental Program Manager at the (NSF) in Washington, D.C. where she reviewed proposals and worked with universities across the country to achieve the agency’s goals.
She received her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her research in solid waste management focused on optimized waste collection and sustainable operation of landfills has been supported by both government agencies and private companies.

She is a co-PI on Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s STEAM project, an innovative five-year effort to match Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ scientists and students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields with student artists to interpret science through art. The project is funded by NSF.

She has served on numerous professional boards and is a registered professional engineer in Florida and Georgia and is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Stanley E. Kappe Award was established to honor the man who served the as executive director from 1971-1981.

The ranking, by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), is based on data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ researchers received 72 patents and were ranked 21st on the .

“This ranking recognizes that the innovation coming out of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is impacting our local economy and raising the university’s research profile around the world,â€� said MJ Soileau, vice president for research & commercialization.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ ranked above such academic powerhouses as Northwestern University, Harvard University and Duke University.

The NAI and the IPO compiled the listing to emphasize the impact university research has on worldwide economic development.

“University inventors are the discoverers and creators of new solutions to existing problems, and, as such, are key contributors to the advancement of technology,� said Paul R. Sanberg, president of the NIA.  “Protection of this intellectual property, through the patenting process, underpins the creation of new industries and employment.�

Over the years, professors at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ have earned patents on many technologies including a technique to detect Crohn’s disease, a non-toxic method of removing oil from water which doesn’t harm the environment and liquid crystal display technology, which is why we can see cell phone screens in daylight or in the dark.

With the NAI/IPO ranking Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has proven itself to be a leader not just in the numbers of patents awarded but in the quality of those patents.  Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is ranked in the IEEE’s listing of the top 20 universities in the world in patent strength.  And three Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ inventors will be honored in March with the designation of NAI Fellow for their innovative work (the three have a combined 104 patents) and its impact on economic development and society.