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Limbitless Solutions Temporarily Shifts Production from Creating Bionic Arms to Support Nationwide Coalition Producing Face Shields During COVID-19 Pandemic

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Limbitless Solutions, a direct support organization for the University of Central Florida, has started 3D printing components of face shields health care workers and first-responders responding to the COVID-19 so desperately need. [Read more…] about Limbitless Solutions Temporarily Shifts Production from Creating Bionic Arms to Support Nationwide Coalition Producing Face Shields During COVID-19 Pandemic

U.S. News & World Report Recognizes UF and UCF as Among Top in the Country for Online Education

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U.S. News & World Report recognized the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida as among the top online programs in the country, according to rankings released today.

[Read more…] about U.S. News & World Report Recognizes UF and UCF as Among Top in the Country for Online Education

Five Florida universities rank in the top 35 public universities granted U.S. patents

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Five State University System institutions are ranked among the Top 35 public universities granted U.S. utility patents in 2017, according to a new report by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

Among all public universities in the United States, University of South Florida ranked fifth with 116 patents, University of Florida Research Foundation ranked sixth with 111 patents, Florida International University ranked 26th with 42 patents, University of Central Florida ranked 28th with 39 patents, and Florida State University ranked 34th with 34 patents. 

“Florida’s public universities continue to exemplify the incredible impact that research and innovation have on the state of Florida,” said Alan Levine, chair of the Board of Governors’ Academic and Research Excellence Committee. “I’m pleased to congratulate the universities on this prestigious list and to thank them for advancing so many important discoveries and inventions that benefit humankind and fuel our economy.” 

The report utilizes data acquired from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to highlight the important role patents play in university research and innovation. 

“The institutions on this list are doing incredible work promoting academic innovation and incubating groundbreaking technologies which exemplify the importance of technology transfer to institutional success,” said Paul R. Sanberg, president of the National Academy of Inventors. “We are proud to collaborate with the Intellectual Property Owners for the sixth consecutive year, and it is a privilege to showcase the vital contributions to society made by universities.”

The five universities are Member Institutions of the National Academy of Inventors, as are all 12 universities in the State University System of Florida.

The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions. The headquarters are located in the University of South Florida Research Park in Tampa. The Intellectual Property Owners Association, established in 1972, is a trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.

“University patents help to ignite a culture of growth and innovation which in turn stimulates local, regional and global economies and generates funding for future research initiatives,” said Mark W. Lauroesch, the Intellectual Property Owners Association Executive Director. “The Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents is a report which demonstrates the critical role universities play in patents, licensing and commercialization.”

The National Academy of Inventors and Intellectual Property Owners have published the report annually since 2013. The rankings are compiled by calculating the number of utility patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that lists a university as the first assignee on the issued patent. For the purposes of the report, a university is defined as an institution that grants undergraduate-level degrees.

The full report of the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted Patents in 2017 can be found here.

New Laser Technique May Help Detect Chemical Warfare in Atmosphere

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The Department of Homeland Security could benefit from a reliable, real-time instrument that could scan the atmosphere for toxic agents in order to alert communities to a biological or chemical attack. UCF optics and photonics Professor Konstantin Vodopyanov is developing just such a technology to accomplish that.

He has found a new way to use infrared lasers to detect even trace amounts of chemicals in the air. Every chemical is made up of individual molecules that vibrate at their own unique frequency. Vodopyanov has found a way to use lasers to detect these vibrations.

The technique is so accurate and sensitive that he can determine if there is a molecule of any chemical present even at concentrations as low as one part per billion. So even if someone tried to hide the toxic chemicals, his technique would be able to detect them.

His findings are published today in Nature Photonics.

“We still have much work ahead,” he said. “We are now working on broadening the range of the laser frequencies that can get the job done. If costs can be reduced and the tech made mobile, the applications could be endless.”

A similar principle is used in the medical field to detect biomarkers for different kinds of health conditions, including cancer, by taking breath samples.

It’s possible, Vodopyanov said, because of the rules of physics.

“The frequencies of molecules are very distinct, but they are invariant – here, on a different continent, on a different planet, anywhere,” Vodopyanov said. “It is universal. Think of it as a molecular fingerprint. So when we use the laser we can detect these fingerprints with great precision.”

The novel approach could open the door for developing non-invasive technology, including sensors, that could be used to detect:

  • airborne agents that could be encountered in a biological or chemical attack at home or on the battlefield
  • traces of life by space explorers on missions to other planets or asteroids

Other collaborators on the Nature Photonics paper include Andrey Muraviev at UCF’s the College of Optics & Photonics, Viktor Smolski of IPG Photonics -– Mid-Infrared Lasers in Birmingham, AL, and Zachary Loparo from UCF’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Vodopyanov obtained his doctorate from the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow. He’s spent years teaching and conducting research in Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Stanford University in California before joining UCF in 2013. He’s also worked in industry, including the Silicon Valley start-up Picarro, which was developing a laser-based breath analyzer for early detection of ulcers. He’s written more than 300 papers and is funded by various organizations including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Office of Naval Research, Air Force and NASA.