Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls Honors 86 Inventors at Awards Banquet

On Friday evening (Dec. 7), 86 INL http://www.inl.gov inventors were recognized for 40 U.S. patented inventions at the Twelfth Annual Honors Banquet held by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls.

INL honored Hall of Fame inventors during the evening: One inventor for generating 15 U.S. patented inventions during his career, and four inventors for five patents.

Dennis Bingham was honored for reaching the 15-patent plateau in the Hall of Fame.

The inventions offer technological advances in many areas, including energy systems, nano-materials, national security, process and analytical chemistry, environmental protection and agri-energy research.

INL honors 86 inventors at the Annual Honors Banquet

On Dec. 7 in Idaho Falls, 86 INL inventors were recognized for earning 40 patents during the 12th Annual Honors Banquet, which was held by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory.

Five inventors were honored for a lifetime of achievement for generating five or more patents during a career. Dennis Bingham was recognized for generating 15 patents, while four other inventors accepted awards for each generating five patents, the first plateau recognized in the Hall of Fame honorary society.

The winners of the Laboratory Director’s Awards for Exceptional Achievement in engineering, science and early career achievement also were named including Stephen Herring for exceptional engineering achievement, Frederick Stewart for exceptional scientific achievement, Phillip Sharpe for early career exceptional achievement, and Helen Farrell for individual lifetime achievement in science and technology.

The Inventor of the Year and Technician of the Year are to be announced during the evening program at the banquet.

Rewarding creative and cumulative performance, INL is the only national laboratory to recognize lifetime achievements for inventors who accrue 5, 10, 15 and 20 U.S. patented inventions. Established in 2002, the INL Hall of Fame provides public recognition and monetary awards based on levels of creativity. So far, five inventors have been recognized for being named on at least 15 U.S. patents, six inventors for having at least 10 U.S. patents and 42 for at least five patents.

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Technologies Available for Licensing from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) http://matr.net/article-25990.html

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To date, INL has inducted into the Hall of Fame 52 inventors who have amassed nearly 350 inventions and received $330,000 in recognition as part of their lifetime achievement awards. These special awards are funded from licensing agreements that provide royalty income to the laboratory. Efforts to advance technologies created at INL and license them continue to pay dividends for the inventors and the national laboratory.

Dennis Bingham’s work has focused on liquefying and pressurizing gas technologies. Those inventors achieving five patents include:

• Reva Nickelson, for subsurface material management and containment technologies and barrier development.

• Thomas Ward, for biomass research using microorganisms and organic processes.

• Matthew O. Anderson, for instrumentation and control systems, including robotic systems and unmanned aerial vehicles.

• Paul Sloan, for innovative technologies in waste management.

Among the 40 patents recognized this year, several addressed environmental challenges with new technologies, processes and materials in energy research, national security, nuclear medicine, nano-materials, improved battery composites, plus science and industrial processing.

Patents issued to INL represent the laboratory’s continuing success in applying scientific solutions to meet the grand challenges of industry and government. The patents also have exceptional potential for application, both nationally and internally, in health, manufacturing, environmental cleanup, national security, nuclear and fossil-fuel energy systems, renewable energy systems and many other areas.

Idaho National Laboratory is one of the Department of Energy’s 10 multi-program national laboratories. The laboratory performs work in each of the strategic goal areas of DOE – energy, national security, science and environment. Specifically, INL is the nation’s leading center of nuclear energy research and development. Day-to-day management and operation of the laboratory is the responsibility of Battelle Energy Alliance.

Keith Arterburn, 208-526-4845, [email protected]

Michelle Mitchell 208-526-6184, [email protected]

Reuel Smith, 208-526-3733, 521-4910, [email protected]