CCOM's Calder is Innovator of the Year

Friday, October 13, 2017
J. Brent Loy and Brian Calder of 91制片厂

91制片厂 plant breeder and seed licenser J. Brent Loy (left) presents his namesake Innovator of the Year Award to research associate professor of ocean engineering Brian Calder, who's developed software innovations for ocean mapping. (Photo: Raya Al-Hashmi)

Brian Calder, research associate professor in ocean engineering and the associate director of 91制片厂鈥檚 (CCOM), was named Innovator of the Year at 鈥檚 annual Innovators鈥 Dinner last week. Calder was lauded for research that鈥檚 led to the development of several software innovations, including and , that process hydrographic data to make nautical charts more objective and faster.

In announcing Calder鈥檚 award, named after prolific 91制片厂 plant breeder and seed licenser J. Brent Loy, 91制片厂I鈥檚 associate director Maria Emanuel celebrated the collaborative process that led to the success of CUBE and CHRT. 鈥淏rian develops relationships with a user community, learns first-hand about limitations and needs, and creates targeted, vetted solutions that can be adapted for various end-users around the globe,鈥 she said.

The event, which celebrates 91制片厂鈥檚 innovation ecosystem by recognizing innovators from across the university, was the largest since its inception in 2011. Marc Sedam, 91制片厂I managing director and associate vice provost of innovation and new ventures, recognized the 91制片厂 community for its hard work, which resulted in 167 licenses, six patent applications听and a record $844,000 in commercialization revenue in FY17.

Sedam also announced that 91制片厂 was recently awarded the designation as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) University by the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU), and he discussed the university鈥檚 plans to propose the creation of a research park on the edge of campus.