Researchers Honored at Innovation Day
Innovator of the Year Victor J. Hruby
Leading Edge Researcher Jonathan Overpeck
Awards for Leading Edge Researchers, Innovator of the Year and Lifetime Achievement were presented to UA researchers as part of Innovation Day.
Research pursuits ranging from global warming studies to cancer vaccine development to the use of optical science to analyze Renaissance paintings were highlighted Tuesday during "Innovation Day at UA."
The sixth annual Innovation Day aimed to celebrate The University of Arizona's success in technology development and innovation by showcasing the research achievements of students, staff and faculty, especially those who have successfully translated original and innovative technology ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace or are on track to do so.
Among those recognized during the daylong celebration were five "Leading Edge Researchers," honored at a morning awards ceremony in the Student Union Memorial Center's Gallagher Theater.
The ceremony was moderated by Robert Morrison, an electrical engineer and founder of Sunquest Information Systems, the world's largest vendor of hospital laboratory information automation products.
A Tucson native, Morrison said he grew up understanding the UA's importance in the Tucson community and today continues to believe in University researchers' ability to have a "double bottom line" in their work through research that has both financial and social benefits.
"That to me is the miracle of what goes on at this university," said Morrison, also a mentor-in-residence at the Eller College of Management's McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship.
Videos interviews with each of the following Leading Edge researchers were shown during the ceremony:
An associate professor and director of the Arizona Research Laboratories division of biomedical engineering and chair of the biomedical engineering graduate interdisciplinary program, Barton was honored for her research expertise in biomedical optical imaging and laser-tissue interaction. Her current research projects include development of dual-modality optical coherence tomography and laser-induced fluorescence imaging systems to examine human tissue structure.
A professor of optical sciences and chair of condensed matter physics, Falco has published more than 250 scientific manuscripts, co-edited two books and registered seven U.S. patents. Falco, working in collaboration with portrait artist David Hockney, is a pioneer in applying optical science analyses to understand how some Renaissance artists may have used optical devices as aids in their painting. A lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, Falco was also co-curator of "The Art of the Motorcycle," an exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum.
Gerner is a professor of cell biology and anatomy and director of the gastrointestinal cancer program at the Arizona Cancer Center. An expert in the science of gastrointestinal cancer processes, his current research focuses on risk factors for gastrointestinal cancers and chemoprevention of epithelial cancers. He also is the founder of Cancer Prevention Pharmaceuticals, a Tucson-based biotechnology company working to develop FDA-approved indications for cancer prevention.
Dr. Katsanis is head of the division of pediatric hematology and oncology and a professor of pediatrics, pathology and immunobiology. He also holds the Louise Thomas Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cancer Research. Katsanis leads a program in cancer treatment and research at the UA that focuses on the immunobiology of leukemia and lymphoma in children. He works with the BIO5 Institute, Steele Children's Research Center and the Arizona Cancer Center. Through a recent collaboration with an Israeli scientist, Katsanis pioneered a new approach to developing a vaccine to treat cancer in children.
One of the world's leading experts on global climate change, Overpeck is co-director of the Institute for Environment and Society and a professor of geosciences and atmospheric sciences. He was invited to join the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and served as coordinating lead author on significant research that earned a Nobel Prize in 2007. Governments and academic institutions worldwide seek Overpeck's opinions and expertise on global warming and climate change.
Other awards given during the day included an Innovator of the Year Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Victor J. Hruby, a Regents' Professor of chemistry, received the Innovator of the Year Award. His research, which has consisted of a several long-term collaborations with biologists and medical researchers, has focused on the role of proteins and peptides in cell processes in healthy and diseased states. His research group is working to develop new synthetic methodologies related to detection and treatment of cancers and other diseases. Hruby was a founding scientist of the Selectide Corporation, a pharmaceutical development company. His passion for teaching is strong, and he says, "I will always come back to the students. I love to work with students. That's why I'm a professor."
Michael A. Cusanovich was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his 40 years of academic and community involvement at the forefront of technology development and commercialization in Arizona. A Regents' Professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and director of the UA's Arizona Research Laboratory, Cusanovich has taught more than 65 classes at the UA and has written nearly 300 academic articles, papers and publications. His research interests include biological electron transfer and related metabolism, sensor proteins, bioelectronics and bacterial evolution.
Cusanovich helped found the Bioindustry Organization of Southern Arizona, of which he is president, and he serves on the board of directors of the Arizona Bioindustry Association.
et cetera
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