For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Kelly Coolbaugh
216-241-8458
kcoolbaugh@nortech.org
NorTech Announces 2006 Innovation Award Winners
Regional innovators recognized for inventions
NorTech, Northeast Ohio’s leading technology-based economic development organization, announced winners of the 2006 Innovation Awards yesterday during a private ceremony at the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio. NorTech hosts the annual Innovation Awards to honor individuals, companies and organizations producing innovative products and processes in Northeast Ohio.
This year’s winners were selected based on the theme “breakthrough innovation”--technologies that have the potential to dramatically impact a specific industry or market sector. A distinguished panel of judges chose six companies/organizations in Northeast Ohio with inventions in a variety of technical fields including: nanotechnology, polymers, advanced materials, advanced energy storage, liquid crystal displays, information technology and advanced agriculture (hydroponics).
"It's important that we recognize our region’s innovators and celebrate their inventions," said Dorothy Baunach, President and CEO of NorTech. Baunach continued, “Afterall, the inventions we celebrate today will fuel the region’s 21st century economy and potentially have a dramatic impact on the lives of people in and outside of Northeast Ohio.”
Below is a complete list of 2006 NorTech Innovation Awards winners and a brief description of their innovation.
6062 Holdings LLC serial entrepreneurs Eric and Cary Senders have acquired the exclusive global rights from DuPont to develop and commercialize an artificial, biodegradable soil technology. Unlike conventional hydroponic materials, this material is environmentally friendly. Through the use of in-ground biodegradable polymer fiber balls, 6062’s new growth medium also produces larger plants in less time and with less water than conventional hydroponic media. 6062’s emphasis on global distribution in countries and areas where soil quality is insufficient to support indigenous populations is extremely well suited to a world where access to clean, fresh water may soon take on the same urgency we see in today’s oil and energy markets. 6062 Holdings is based in Beachwood, Ohio.
Ecology Coatings proprietary patent-pending, nano-engineered coatings combine cutting edge technologies to produce breakthrough multi-functional coatings of superior performance. The proprietary 100 percent solids formulations contain no water, toxic solvents or other liquid components that need to evaporate for the coating to set; a characteristic that eliminates the need for heat in the process, reducing manufacturing line space by 80 percent and cutting energy consumption by 75 percent and dramatically decreases EPA reporting requirements. The unique properties of Ecology Coatings' liquid nanotechnology make the coatings ideal for driving efficiencies and innovation across a broad range of applications including paper, electronics, metals and plastic. Ecology collaborates with industry leaders to develop revolutionary high-value, high-performance coatings for military, automotive, industrial, electronic and medical applications. Ecology Coatings is a privately held company, located in Akron, Ohio.
Kent Displays Incorporated was selected for the unique “flexible, no power” attribute of Kent Displays Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Display products that permit image retention without any power, offering unprecedented energy savings in many applications. The characteristic of this technology eliminates the need for a constant refresh of the display, enabling the design of extremely energy efficient products. Image retention without power is indefinite and there is no risk of image burn-in, ghosting, or other artifacts common with other displays. Recently, Kent has embarked on a major initiative to manufacture flexible and conformable cholesteric displays. This is one of the first such endeavors in the world. Kent Displays is located in Kent, Ohio.
NASA Glenn Research Center is leading a team that is developing battery replacements with a new advanced energy storage technology based on nanotechnology. The breakthrough, a nanostructured super capacitor, is capable of double the energy storage compared to existing devices. Once commercialized, these rechargeable devices will represent a major innovation in energy storage, providing hundreds of thousands of recharging and re-use cycles per device. These devices will deliver electricity with higher voltage per cell, improved power performance, and higher energy and power densities. NASA’s partners include: Cleveland-based Eaton Corp. for its experience in automotive electrical systems, JME Inc. for expertise in device design and testing, GrafTech International for expertise in new graphite-based current collectors, Baldwin-Wallace College for business management expertise, and the Cuyahoga County Department of Development. The NASA Glenn Research Center is located in Cleveland, Ohio.
Open Student Television Network (OSTN) is the only 24-hour global channel devoted exclusively to student-produced programming. OSTN's student produced content reaches over 33 million users, 3700 research and education institutions in 54 countries and can be viewed on both TVs and PCs. OSTN produces CEAI-TV, a hosted IP Television Service that offers its university participants traditional broadcast programming over commercial Internet connections and university produced programming securely over the Internet2 networks. Internet2's nationwide high-speed backbone network is 100-1000 times faster than the average household broadband connection. OSTN has also negotiated bulk service agreements with major television content providers such as NBC Universal, FOX, and Starz Encore Group for secure delivery of their programming over campuses' commercial Internet connections. The OSTN channel gives voice to students by connecting schools' TV stations through video content sharing and digital delivery of student-produced video content. OSTN was launched by the Campus EAI Consortium in February 2005, and is located in Cleveland, Ohio.
The University of Akron has developed electrospun nano-fibers, to create a “nano-fiber bandage” in which polymer fibers are infused with chemicals that open a wounded area to oxygen. The process helps reduce inflammation, kill parasites and repairs slow-healing wounds faster than conventional methods. The “nano-fiber bandage” has applications in drug delivery, wound care, tissue engineering, filtration, absorption, energy production and composite reinforcement that cures severe skin aliments. The technology was developed by two researchers, professors Daniel Smith and Darrell Reneker, from the University of Akron, in Akron, Ohio.
In addition to NorTech, sponsors of the 2006 NorTech Innovation Awards include CBIZ, Cleveland.com, The Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, the Fund for Our Economic Future, the Greater Cleveland Partnership and COSE.