University of Arizona Catapult Awards Event Honor Excellence in University Research Commercialization

Tucson Ariz. – Tech Launch Arizona presented its first Catapult Awards on Monday, honoring efforts that directly affect the quality of life for people in Tucson, across Arizona and around the world through research, collaboration and innovation – key elements in the University’s land-grant mission.

David Allen, vice president of Tech Launch Arizona, emceed the event, which was held at the University of Arizona Museum of Art.

UA President Ann Weaver Hart, who offered her congratulations and helped present the awards, reminded the audience of the UA’s commitment to applying new knowledge to today’s major challenges and questions, and the importance of moving that knowledge out into the world.

“This is the creative manifestation of our land-grant mission at its best,” she said regarding the process of bringing the inventions born of academic research to the public. “We are creating new knowledge right at the boundaries of the frontier and thinking about how that new knowledge will apply to our lives and to our futures.”

Honors were given to individuals and teams in six categories. Four awards were given to UA faculty/researchers who have demonstrated excellence as inventors and effective Tech Launch Arizona partners. The recipients were:

• Catapult Award for Chemistry & Physical Sciences – Given to the team members of GlycoSurf LLC, a company that will commercialize products based on eco-friendly surfactants developed through collaborative research. The team consisted of: Jeanne Pemberton, Ph.D., professor in the UA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Cliff Coss, Ph.D.; and Raina Maier, Ph.D., professor in the UA Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science. An additional award was given to Robin Polt, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who made indispensable contributions to the development of the GlycoSurf IP.
• Catapult Award for Biomedical & Life Sciences – Given to Dr. Marvin Slepian (see photograph right), UA professor of medicine and biomedical engineering, UA director of interventional cardiology, and co-founder of SynCardia and other biomedical companies.
• Catapult Award for Information Technology – Given to the Dataware Ventures team, who commercialized a new technology called micro-specialization that boosts the performance of data-intensive software. The team consisted of: Richard Snodgrass, UA professor of computer science; Sauyma Debray, UA professor of computer science; and Rui Zhang, recipient of a Ph.D. in computer science, advised by Snodgrass and Debray.
• Catapult Award for Engineering – Given to Jonathan Sprinkle, UA assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. Sprinkle has partnered with TLA on a number of efforts including two proof of concept projects and the creation of startup Acomni LLC.

Two award categories recognized contributions from outside the UA. They were:

• Catapult Award for Industry & Corporate Partnership – Recognizing a company/business that has demonstrated excellence in collaborating to forward the TLA mission. This award was given to Fletcher McCusker and Kevin Boesen for their collaborative work and leadership in launching SinfoníaRx, a new company based on medication management technology developed at the UA College of Pharmacy.
• Catapult Award for Ecosystem Impact – Recognizing an individual community leader who has a demonstrated commitment and has proven to be effective in bringing the surrounding communities of Tucson and Arizona to bear on the TLA mission. This award was given to Patrick Marcus, president of Marcus Engineering LLC.

“These awards honor those people who have demonstrated a strong commitment to bringing the great scientific discoveries of UA research to the public,” Allen said. “Because of their hard work and commitment to the process of commercialization, they’re doing much more than creating products. They’re building businesses that are improving lives and creating technology companies that will offer jobs and fuel this economy in the future.”

The UA created Tech Launch Arizona to advance UA discoveries into intellectual property, inventions, and technology. TLA represents a prioritization, restructuring and resource enhancement of the UA’s technology commercialization and industry-sponsored research efforts. TLA moves knowledge and inventions developed by students and faculty into the market, with the primary goal of unifying UA researchers and the business community to significantly enhance the impact of UA research, technological innovation, and technology park assets. By 2020, the UA through Tech Launch Arizona aims to become a recognized national resource for its role in integrating UA-created knowledge into tangible economic and social benefit.